Chemically Insane - WrenchOC
by blinkingfox
Summary: Emelia was a former chemist who got framed by an ex DedSec member. Now she must work with DedSec to get her life back together. Wrench/OC. Rated T for now.
1. 1 - Break the Ice

Hey everyone! Wrench/OC story! Here it is! I'm sooo into Wrench and this idea just sort of came to me plus there's not enough Wrench stuff out! Huge props to the two already Wrench/OC fics available. I had started this last week, but you beat me to the publishing part ;D.

This chapter will have you getting to know the OC. It doesn't follow the game plot, I'm leading more towards this happening after the game (or right at the end, considering how the game ends with "earlier that night" scenario for free-roaming purposes).

Anyway, Chapter 1 I hope you enjoy!

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~~~Hackerspace~~~

Sitara and Josh sat loomed over a bright laptop screen illuminating the room and their faces as they wait for results they've been looking for. Upon the screen read:

 _Name: Myres, Emelia_

 _Age: 25_

 _Gender: Female  
Race: Caucasian_

 _Place of Birth: New York City, NY  
Occupation: Unemployed_

 _Salary: No Record  
Threat Probability: 65%_

Violations: unauthorized possession and illegal practice of chemicals, breaking and entering, theft, armed robbery.

"That's her," Sitara said.

"65%?" Josh asked.

"Mostly framed," Sitara grabbed her phone looking up anything she can find on Emelia Myres.

Marcus walked in the hackerspace, coming down the stairs offering his greetings, before Sitara interrupted him, "Marcus! Come here," She said.

"What's up?" He asked walking over to her.

Sitara turned in her chair to speak to Marcus, "This is my old friend, Emma. Thought she could help out and be an ally of Dedsec."

"What can she do?" Marcus asked.

"Check out her file," Josh said clicking on her violations again.

"Chemicals? So she's some mad scientist?" Marcus asked.

"Something like that. She used to make these ice darts that work with modified airsoft guns. Non lethal, but it hurts like a bitch. Totally throws people off, and could help when the stun gun's range won't go far enough. Oh! And smoke bombs! With non lethal gas," Sitara said sounding more excited as she told her friend's skills.

"Why she sound like a Batman villain?" Marcus laughed.

"Weeellllll, maybe more like Batman since she doesn't like to kill anyone," Sitara offered.

"Batman's killed people before," Marcus said with a straight face.

"Alright you out-nerded me. Anyway, this isn't about Batman. It's about her. We could really use her as an ally," Sitara said.

"Sounds like it. How do you know she'll be so willing to join us?" Marcus asked.

"Well the problem is that she's been arrested and fined enough to lose her ability to be allowed to use a laboratory. Can't really find a job, either. She was addicted to chemistry. I'm sure if we find a way to wipe away all that bad rep, she'll join us."

"Bribe her to do chemistry?" Marcus noted the irony in the matter. Who _wanted_ to do chemistry?

"She's a freak, but she's great. You'll love her and her ice darts," Sitara smiled wide.

~~~Silicon Prints~~~

It's been 1 year, 4 months, and 10 days since her last day in a lab. Unfortunately no one would hire Emelia since, so she took a job getting paid under the table at a T-Shirt printing store. She didn't have to work with the public, and could stay safely in a backroom where no one would bother her.

Emelia, casually going by "Emma", and her coworker Sasha, were organizing shirts that have been disorganized throughout the day. She put her long hair up hours ago, having dark strands falling down over her face slowly since then.

"Emma! Can you close up? I'm sorry my baby's throwing up and the nanny is freaking out!" Sasha said startling Emma out of her silence.

"Yeah, no problem. Hope he'll be okay," Emma smiled.

"Thanks, I'll buy you lunch tomorrow!" Sasha grabbed her things and power walked out of the door, Emma just watching her casually.

Emma checked the clock, an hour left to go. By herself. She sighed, finishing her organization as her phone buzzed from the counter. She wondered who it was. No one texts her or gets in contact with her anymore. It could have been Sasha, maybe she locked herself out and forgot something. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't even a number she recognized.

 _Meet me at Baker Beach._

Emma responded with, _Who's this?_

 _I'm a friend, don't worry._

Emma rolled her eyes and knew she didn't have much to lose by going. Worst they could do was, what, kill her? She scoffed pulling her hair of her tie, letting her dark, wavy hair flow down past her shoulder. She ruffled it to get out any tangles. Emma doubted herself for a second before hurrying up her duties before closing up.

~~~Baker Beach~~~

Emma walked down the path to Baker Beach after 9:30 pm. It was a Tuesday so thankfully it wasn't packed. On second glance, there weren't that many people aside from 3 small groups of people, and 2 people sitting at a table. She figured whoever was looking for her would see her before she sees them, so she started walking to the first group of male hipsters, sitting in the sand, "...Were you looking for an Emma?" She asked timidly.

They stopped talking and looked up. One of the drunk hipsters smiled a toothy grin, "No, but I am now," He slurred.

She rolled her eyes, "Ugh, my mistake," and continued walking. She started walking toward the table before Marcus, whom she didn't know, raised his hand up to get her attention. She smiled and grasped her backpack strap tighter as she walked over.

"Hey, you messaged me…?" Emma glanced over to see Sitara and her eyes widened, "No… no no no no," Emma said walking backwards,.

"Emma!" Sitara quickly stood up to put a friendly arm around her, "Don't cause a scene," She said quietly through a toothy smile, "Have a seat!" She cheered, "Got you a beer."

Emma glared but did what she said, ignoring the beer. Now she was trapped. She knew Sitara was a track star and could outrun her if she tried to book it. She looked over at Marcus and noted that he looked athletic, too. "Emma, this is Marcus. Marcus, Emma."

"Yeah, nice to meet you. What the hell, Sitara, I thought you said you were friends!" Marcus whispered loudly.

"It's not entirely untrue, right, Emma?" Sitara shrugged.

Emma continue to glare at Sitara before darting her eyes between her and Marcus. She sighed, "Once upon a time… I guess." Emma answered.

"So what's the deal?" Marcus asked carefully.

"Long story. Emma we need to ask you something…" Sitara started.

"I know what you're going to ask, and my answer is no." Emma said quickly.

"What do you think I'm going to ask?" Sitara asked.

"About Owen, and I can't-"

Sitara interrupted, "This has nothing to do with Owen. I promise. Please, don't tell me you still talk to him."

Emma sighed, relieved, "Hell no."

"Who's Owen?" Marcus asked.

"Even longer story." Sitara said. Marcus looked defeated. He was so lost and no one was telling him anything. She turned back to Emma, "We're going to delete your ctOS profile and find you a lab."

Emma's eyes widened and she finally sat up straight, "What? You two?"

Sitara nodded, "Well. Dedsec." She whispered that last part.

"Deds-!" Emma began before Sitara covered her mouth. Emma pulled her hand off, "That's almost just as bad. Listen, Sitara. A lab is tempting, but I can't get involved with…. _them_ again."

"It'll be different this time. No Owen; no danger. We just need you to do your lab stuff and be an ally. Think of it as business partners." Sitara smiled.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. She wanted that lab. More than anything. Her life felt empty without chemistry. That feeling she got when practicing trial and error was her favorite. Everyone called her a daredevil or "crazy" when hearing about how free she was with chemicals, but she didn't care. But Owen… The man that caused her to lose her lab in the first place. She wasn't ready to go through those memories again, but she knew that the closer she was to chemistry, the closer she was to having him destroy it all over again or worse. Emma shook her head, "No."

"I saw those wheels turning. What are you worried about? And don't tell me it's a long story," Marcus finished quickly and sternly.

Emma looked between Marcus and Sitara for a few moments, "Well, it being a long story is true, but it's also one i'm not comfortable talking about."

"Can you give him a short version?" Sitara offered softly. Emma looked away at the ocean. Sitara looked to Marcus, "Owen, a former Dedsec member, went rogue and pulled some shady shit that he got caught for, framed Emma, and she lost everything."

Marcus got the hint that Owen was someone important to her, "I'm sorry to hear, Emma. But we'll keep you safe. Sitara told me how much chemistry means to you. That shit about the ice dart? I really need to see that!" Marcus said.

Emma smiled. Just hearing about the excitement someone shared over her 'projects' made her day - week, even. Marcus seemed very genuine. She already liked him. Sitara smiled too and Emma noticed. She quickly looked down before her face gave it all away.

Sitara laughed, "Weeellllll?"

Emma pinched the bridge of her nose and lightly started to shake her head, "Okay fine!" She said throwing her head back. Sitara and Marcus softly cheered, "But only because you actually want to see it! Unlike you, you called me a nerd every chance you got," She said pointing at Sitara.

"What? You were! You were quoting Mr Freeze and started making ice puns!" Sitara laughed.

Marcus lightly slammed his hand on the table, "Awww man, I should have said "It's ice to meet you" before!"

Emma laughed, "It would have broken the ice a lot sooner."

Marcus laughed and Sitara rolled her eyes, "She never misses a beat. Anyway, we'll keep in touch, alright? We'll keep you as far away from Dedsec as possible."

Emma reluctantly nodded. She still wasn't fully confident in her decision, but figured it was worth a shot if it meant being able to use a laboratory again. Thinking about testing all the recipes that she's been cooking up in her brain, only to force them out of her mind due to the possibility of never being able to do anything with them. Being so far away from her craft was like prison, even worse, maybe. To her, at least. Her mind was muddled, but one thing she knew for sure, she was the happiest she's been in months.

As long as she stayed far away from Owen, she thought. Being far from Dedsec meant she was safe. However, still being involved with them is dangerous in it's own terms. As long as she only uses Sitara or Marcus as a Dedsec contact, she'd be fine, she hoped.

Little did she know, she'd be a lot more involved than she thought.

~~~Emelia Myers' Apartment~~~

Emma walked out of her bathroom, steam from her recent hot shower exiting the room along with her. She began towel drying her hair as she sat down and turned her TV on. She sighed, hearing the bad news being broadcasted from the screen. It wasn't just San Francisco. Sure it was dangerous, but what city isn't? Especially these days. She slouched back in her couch, staring at the TV, not really absorbing the information spoken to her. No, she was daydreaming about the possibility of being in a lab again. She wanted to start creating formulas on a notebook to she has something to test right when she gets access. Before she could let her thoughts wander even further, she heard a noise behind her couch and next thing she knew she couldn't breathe.

She reached up at her beck to feel cloth crushing her windpipe. Gasping for breath, she reached back further, following the cloth to feel two strong hands.

A face came up next to her ear, "You thought you could keep secrets from me?" Asked a deep male voice.

Emma gasped and was suddenly able to stand up, twisting around behind her only causing her to get lightheaded. She bent down holding her coffee table for stability as she stared at the couch in front of her. No one was there. She straightened herself up, never leaving the couch out of her sight. She covered her mouth, still unsure of what just happened.

"A dream…" Emma whispered to herself. Owen. That man's voice was Owen. But it was just a dream, she had to convince herself. He wasn't real. She looked at the TV, now showing Poker instead of the news. The time read 6:34am. "Just… a dream," She repeated again. Sleeping for another 2 hours was going to be impossible, so she instead just got ready for her day at work. Quickly. Being in her apartment made her feel uneasy.

~~~Silicon Prints~~~

9:15am.

Emma held her coffee that she picked up on the way as she unlocked the door to the store. With the awful sleep she had last night, caffeine would be the only thing helping her function. The store didn't open till 11am, and she didn't have to be in until 9:30, as did her coworkers but she had nothing else to do. She walked past the front, setting her backpack down on the counter before she entered the backroom.

She held her coffee up ready to take a sip, but as she entered the backroom, she froze. Her hand lost all motor skills and dropped the coffee, letting it spill all over the ground. Of course, she didn't hear the spill, nor mind the burning sensation of hot coffee in her hand. All she could see was the graffiti sprayed out all over the walls and merchandise in the backroom.

 **DEDSEC IS DED**

 **NO SECRETS**

 **YOU LOSE**

 **EMMA LOST**

 **DID NOT COMPUTE**

 **HA HA HA**

 **EMMA EMMA EMMA**

 **GOT YOU**

Read over and over. She didn't know what to do. The room started to spin. She covered her mouth with both of her hands and she trembled. Owen did this. Owen knew about her meeting with Sitara. How? How did he know? She has a flip phone with no internet. She doesn't have technology that ctOS is connected to. Did he have her bugged?

She didn't even hear her coworker Jerod walk up behind her, "Oh hey Emma you're early - WHOA" He said.

Emma turned to face him, tears welling up in her eyes. Tears forced out by fear, and nothing else. She made eye contact with Jerod as he looked at her expecting an explanation or answers. Certainly, he didn't think SHE did this?

"I gotta go." She said with a weak voice, grabbed her backpack and left. She can already assume that she's fired, but that thought didn't last in her mind for more than a moment. She had other things to worry about.

There's no escape from Owen, she thought. The meeting with Dedsec was why he started harassing her again, and if he is already suspicious of that, then there's no other option than to keep in contact with Dedsec. Sitara will help her get through this. The only way to take out an unstable hacker like Owen is with a group of hackers…

She hoped.

* * *

Hope you like it! Wrench will be in the next chapter for sure and a lot more after that (duhhh).

I'm pretty bad at writing third person, but my vision for this story will work a lot better in third person so I can get Dedsec members point of views into play. Maybe i'll get better at it, too, along the way!

I also have an Aiden/OC fanfic that I was in the middle of writing, but reader interest seemed to go down, so I kind of lost interest. But I really do want to finish it, so if anyone is interested in reading that. Favorite it or something to let me know and I can write both these stories simultaneously.

Thanks loves *heart*

-Blink


	2. 2 - Not hoarding

Hey guys! Thanks so much for the favorites and the follows and the reviews so far! I planned to have this out Friday, but I wanted to do some extra tweaking to the story, which I'm glad I did. I hope you don't mind that i'll be switching between using both Emelia and her nickname Emma a lot. I like to think Emelia is her formal name, but she prefers to go by Emma. Anyway, I hope you enjoy part two!

-Blink

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~~~Baker Beach~~~

Emelia sat on a bench at Baker Beach, in silence. She had her flip phone in her hands, twirling it around on the table, mesmerized by the movements and the sound it made. She felt someone walking passed her and noticed it was Sitara right as she sat down. They both sat in silence as Sitara grabbed Emelia's phone out of her hands. Both eyes watched as Sitara took the back of the phone off to inspect the inside. Sitara set the phone off to the side of the table and pulled out her own phone. Emelia slouched down even further, resisting the urge to sigh. She hadn't realized she was holding her breath since she got to the beach. She eyed Sitara's fingers moving around on her touchscreen, like she's done this multiple times before. Suddenly, Sitara held the phone out inches away from Emelia's face and stared at the screen for a few moments.

Sitara set her phone down and smiled at Emelia, "Well your phone wasn't bugged… but you were."

Emelia's eyes widened, unable to find the words to respond with right away, "I… I was bugged," She stated more than asked.

"He put a tracking beacon behind your ear," Sitara said causing Emma to immediately reach behind her ears. She felt a bump behind her right ear. Something she should have probably noticed before, maybe if she were looking for it.

"That… psycho," Emma said defeated.

"That explains how he knew about our meeting. He tracked you here and probably hacked a nearby phone to listen in to our conversation," Sitara explained, "I scrambled the signal. He'll be getting data sent to him, but it won't be your movements."

"But I texted you that I was coming here. Do you think he knows we're here now?" Emma asked.

"Maybe, but good thing no one's around that he can use to eavesdrop," Sitara said looking around.

Emma followed Sitara's eyes and chuckled, "Guess you're right. So I don't have to worry about him tracking me?" Emma asked to reassure.

Sitara nodded, "You should probably move in with a friend he doesn't know though. At least we can get your lab set up."

Emelia didn't want to explain to Sitara that she didn't have any friends. She had her Silicon Prints coworkers, and they would happily go on lunches together, but certainly not friendly enough to live together. The job itself may have also been compromised. She couldn't afford to wait.

"What are you thinking?" Sitara asked.

"I'm not really sure what I can do… Is there an ETA on the lab?" Emma asked.

"Marcus will get your ctOS profile deleted and locked tonight. After that, it's just a matter of finding a place and getting materials." Sitara answered.

Emma sighed, "It's just that… I don't really have a place to stay."

"Do you have a bank account?" Sitara asked.

"Not since Owen. My job paid me under the table, and well, I guess I don't have that anymore." Emma leaned her elbows on the table and rubbed her eyes with her hands. There was a moment of silence of Sitara clearly thinking. "Well thanks, Sitara, I'm going to -"

"Wait!" Sitara interrupted Emelia, "We usually talk about this is as a group, but well… Fuck it. You can come hang out at our place for a bit until we figure something out."

Emelia sat back down, "I wouldn't want to intrude, let alone piss off one of your friends."

"Nahh, Marcus has done the same thing. Plus you've already agreed to work with us. So you're technically already part of the group!"

"You mean Dedsec, don't you?" Emma asked.

"We go there, but -" Sitara began.

"Sitara, we agreed I'm an ally… not a member. I'm not Dedsec." Emma said staring down at the table hard, playing with her nails.

Sitara placed her hand on Emma's, "You're safe there. Owen won't be able to get you. Dedsec or not."

Emma closed her eyes. She knew she wanted to go. She'd be safer in a group of Dedsec members than by herself. "You got a couch or something I can take a nap on?" Emma smirked.

~~~Hackerspace~~~

Emma wore makeshift dark glasses with electrical tape on the lenses that made sure she couldn't see through. Sitara was leading her through Gary's Games & Glory, and to the backroom that led to the hackerspace. Even though Sitara trusted Emma, she still wanted to follow rules set by herself and Dedsec. She can't know where the hackerspace is, not just yet.

"Welcome to the hackerspace. Make yourself at home." Sitara said taking off Emma's glasses.

"Wow" Emma whispered as she took in the sight in front of her. Graffiti, tech, posters, tv's and monitors everywhere… this really was a 'hackerspace' as they called it. She kept moving her focus and the place didn't seem to end. Her eyes settled on someone wearing a green hoodie and it finally settled in her brain that she was in Dedsec territory. Her face got warm.

Sitara startled her by placing a hand on her shoulder and led her to the man in the green hoodie, "Come meet Josh! Josh, this is my friend Emma."

Josh turned over his shoulder and held up his hand slightly, "Hey," He said before turning back to typing away at his keyboard.

"She's gonna be staying here for a bit." Sitara explained.

"Okay," Josh simply said.

Emma frowned. He didn't seem angry, just uninterested. Maybe he was mad and just good at hiding it. Emma started to rethink her situation.

"He's a man of a few words, but he's a sweetheart you'll love him," Sitara explained. Emma stared at Josh's screen, letting the feeling set in… After everything that led up to this moment, seeing a Dedsec member do their typical Dedsec work right in front of her. She was now a part of Dedsec whether she wanted to admit it or not, and it was too late to turn back. Owen made sure of that. "Emma?" Sitara asked breaking her concentration. Emma turned and went back to the graffiti wall, where Sitara was.

"You going to be okay here? I have to head out for a bit, but you're free to nap on the couch. Josh won't bother you, but he's around if you need something. No one else should be here for a few hours." Sitara explained.

"How many more come around here?" Emma asked.

"Five. Me, Marcus, Josh. You'll meet Wrench and Ray later I'm sure," Sitara said messing with the printing machine in front of her.

Emma nodded. She wrapped her arms around herself staring at the couch, enticing her, even though the adrenaline tried to battle it.

Sitara pulled the sheet that printed out and grabbed a can of what looked like paint, "Just relax for a bit, when I come back, we can talk business. Alright?" She said using her free hand to touch Emma on the shoulder. Emma nodded and watched her walk upstairs. She turned her attention back to the couch and walked over to it, looking at the technology and tools that were laying about on the way.

She let her body fall on the couch, not minding how uncomfortable it was. She felt safe, which was better. She looked at her phone. 12:14pm. She didn't know how much time she had to nap, but it was better than nothing. Before she could drift off, she felt movement around her. Opening her eyes, she saw Josh holding a blanket up to her.

"Here's a blanket," Josh said.

Emma smiled, "Thank you, Josh," She said grabbing the blanket from him. Maybe he was a sweetheart. Josh didn't say anything as he walked back to his station, letting Emma finally drift off.

~~~Hackerspace ~~~ A couple hours later~~~

The doors to the Hackerspace opened, letting an angry Wrench and an irritated Ray walk in to head downstairs. Wrench was carrying a medium sized cardboard box while Ray let his arms swing loose, looking defeated from his earlier escapades with Wrench.

"He fucking knew we wanted it, he was hiding it!" Wrench said, clearly frustrated.

"Calm down, he wasn't hiding anything. You were making him uncomfortable." Ray said in a tired, bored tone.

"Oh he was uncomfortable? It's called being assertive. You don't get what you want by bending over in front of everyone." Wrench said letting the box fall on the counter with a thud.

"And you don't barter with a guy by forcing _him_ to bend over." Ray quickly responded, slowly getting more irritated.

Josh got out of his seat and walked over to the two, "Quiet, you're going to wake up Emma," Josh said in a hushed tone.

Wrench paused his angry rant to look at Josh with a confusion expression on his mask, "Who the fuck is Emma?" He asked.

That was her queue. Emma sat up and peeked over the back of the couch, leaning her arms on it, raising a hand up, "I'm Emma…" She said with a tired smile.

Wrench and Ray turned their attention to Emma. He looked between her and Josh, "Josh, buddy!" He said putting his hand on Josh's shoulder, only for him to shrug it off. "Does Sitara know she's here?"

"Sitara is the one that brought me here," Emma said irritated at Wrench's implication.

Ray's gaze remained on Emma the instant he saw her. He recognized her, somewhere, but couldn't put his finger on it. Emma made eye contact with him and quickly turned away, uncomfortable with the tension.

"Oh look the gang's all here!" Sitara said coming down the stairs, Marcus following behind her, "I see you two met Emma. She's the chemist I told you about. This idiot is Wrench; Hawaiian shirt over there is Ray."

Wrench's mask lit up, "Wait, chemist? Marcus?" He asked quietly, but still loud enough for everyone to hear.

Marcus nodded, "Haha yup!"

Wrench quickly walked over to the back of the couch Emma was now kneeling on, "What's this about an ice dart?" He asked enthusiastically, causing Emma to pull back a bit.

Sitara sighed, "I told you to keep on the down low. We don't want to overwhelm her!"

Emma glared at Sitara anyway, "Did you tell _everyone_ about that?"

Sitara shrugged, "Nerds are easy to please. You two get that part you wanted?"

Wrench backed off from the couch, giving Emma time to stand up and straighten her clothes from sleeping. She scanned him as he was talking. At first it was with disdain; annoyed with him already and not liking the way he invaded her personal space without knowing her. He was very animated, despite the grunge look he had going on. Her eyes paid attention to his mask changing expressions, wondering how it worked, although she knew better than to ask questions about a hacker. He was thin, she noted, but perhaps in an athletic way. Then again, most people were thin compared to Owen. Owen was built, going to the gym 3-4 times a week. Marcus was smaller than him, even, and he looked very athletic. "No, fuckface at the junkyard wouldn't let us in. I know it's there, he just doesn't want me to have it!" Wrench continued.

"That's not it," Ray once again shut down Wrench's complaints.

"You don't know!" Ray said pointing at Ray.

"How are you so sure?!" Ray asked.

"Hey, hey, hey," Marcus interrupted them. Wrench and Ray started off at the wrong foot months ago, but eventually became quick friends. However, their personalities clash enough for them to always get into heated arguments occasionally, "We'll try again, or find another junkyard."

"There isn't another junkyard! Well, there is, but it's all… actual junk! This guy has the Holy Grail of "junk"" Wrench said.

"And we'll get it, but next time let me do the talking," Ray said sounding more annoyed than anything. He didn't want to go back for a third time if Wrench was going to talk out of his ass again, Ray thought.

Marcus walked over to Emma as Wrench and Ray moved on to discuss their own next plan of action. "Emma, ready to see MY magic?" Marcus asked bringing out his laptop and sitting on the table.

Emma scoffed, "Chemistry is hardly magic. Neither is technology, it's all - " Emma began as Marcus gave her a smirk and raised eyebrow shutting her up, "Right… "magic"… proceed," She said and sat down next to him. Marcus started typing away at his laptop, narrating everything he's doing for Emma to follow.

Ray walked over to Sitara, "So uh… What's her deal?" He asked.

Sitara smirked and put her hands on her hips, "Isn't she a little young for you?"

"Har. Har. She looks familiar... And I don't have a good feeling about it. You two were friends?" Ray asked, carefully studying Sitara's face for a response.

Sitara rolled her eyes and made sure not to make eye contact with Ray again, "She's my old chemist friend Emelia. Nothing more."

Ray nodded once, "I'll take your word for it. After all, we're not supposed to lie to each other. Right?" He asked, still studying her face, baiting her to make eye contact.

Sitara finally looked back at Ray with a slight glare, "I'm going to go do some work. Maybe you should, too." She said and walked away.

"And there you are," Marcus said bringing up Emma's profile.

Emma leaned in closer muttering her info, "Illegal practice my ass...theft... Armed Robbery?" She exclaimed. "I've never held a gun before. Er… a real gun," She said remembering her projects with airsoft guns.

"Owen could have easily gotten a shot of you holding an airsoft gun to add that to your record. Doesn't take much," Marcus said.

"Who's Owen?" Wrench asked as he strolled up out of curiosity.

Emma ignored the question, "He's going to notice you deleting this right? Can't he just change it like we are now?"

"He won't notice unless he checks to see if you have a profile. Which shouldn't be often, unless he's that paranoid," Marcus said.

Emma slouched back in her seat and sighed, "He's that paranoid…He put a tracker in me," Emma said reaching up to her ear where it sat.

"A tracker!?" Marcus said before everyone was about to get heated

"Sitara disabled it!" She said quickly, noticing everyone's discomfort, "Sorry I probably should have led with that. But I didn't even know about it until she did it."

"What reason did he have to put a tracker in you? Also, who's Owen?" Wrench asked again.

"The guy who framed her, man," Marcus said, knowing Sitara already told Wrench.

"Oh, that! Yeah, I was totally paying attention" Wrench said not very sincere.

"He's a psycho. That's all you really need to know," Emma said feeling uncomfortable.

"I disagree," Ray interrupted, "If we're all putting our asses on the line, you owe us the full story."

"Ray," Marcus asked for him to keep it down.

"I'm sorry, and who are you?" Emma asked with an eyebrow twitch. She noticed the way he glared at her the instant they met. She didn't know anything to him, and didn't appreciate the distrust he immediately decided he was going to feel.

Marcus looked back at Emma surprised. He's so far only seen her act shy and timid and wasn't expecting her to defend herself against Ray. Wrench, on the other hand, was beaming on the inside to see anyone stand up to Ray, even if they were friends.

"You don't get to come into our home and start asking questions, sweetheart." Ray said.

"Your seniority doesn't give you the excuse to not have manners. You don't know anything about me," Emma responded.

"That's precisely the problem. So why don't you share with the class?" Ray offered, turning a chair around to sit, leaning his arms on the back.

"Guys - " Marcus tried to reason, not wanting Emma to feel uncomfortable. He was tired of being the mediator all the time. First with Wrench and Ray, now with Ray and Emma. Wrench quickly shushed Marcus, putting his hand on his shoulder, still entertained by the sight in front of him.

"How about my crazy stalker ex-boyfriend has been successfully ruining my life for over a year and Sitara is the only person I can trust to get me out of this. Your turn," Emma offered.

"Wait, wait, wait," Wrench said walking up next to Ray, "Allow me to introduce to you… Raymond! Kenney!" He said with a gameshow host voice.

"And that's supposed to mean something to me?" Emma said crossing her arms.

Wrench busted out laughing, holding his stomach and he doubled over, "That can only get you so far, old man!" Wrench said through his laughter. Finally, someone who didn't know who _the Legendary_ Raymond Kenney was.

Emma was taken aback by his outburst and Ray was clearly annoyed, "Laugh it up! You still don't have that part you've been trying to get for weeks!"

Wrench slowed his laughter and shrugged off Ray's comment, "Eh, you win some you lose some."

"Are you guys done?" Marcus asked.

"For now," Wrench winked and tapped Ray on the shoulder. Never took too long to get over their spats. He walked back over to his station and began organizing a pile of chips and wires.

"I need to get more beer," Ray said and started heading upstairs.

"We don't have enough here?" Marcus asked.

"You try spending a whole day with Wrench and ask me that again," Ray finished as he left.

Marcus chuckled and shook his head, "Big moment. Ready Emma?" Marcus asked.

"Ready," Emma smiled.

Marcus turned the laptop over to Emma, "Would you like to do the honors?"

She looked at the screen to see her profile, hopefully for the last time. Everything that was on file for her, preventing her from moving on with her life was a button away from disappearing. But Owen would surely find out. Marcus could delete her profile again, she thought. In the back of her mind, she knew that Owen would just get more and more dangerous. Deleting her profile was the first step on getting rid of him forever, she hoped. Her hand hovered over the 'enter' key and with a big smile, she pressed down on the key. A gray bar filled up and before she knew it, bright on the screen: Profile Deleted. No Profile Found.

"Congratulations, you don't exist!" Marcus cheered.

"You made it look so easy," Emma smiled, cupping her face with her hands. Her face turned red, but she didn't know why.

Wrench, still at his station, looked over to see Emma beaming with the news of her profile being deleted. He understood how liberating it must feel and her reaction was one of the best he's ever seen. Even though he only met her 10 minutes ago, her attitude back then versus now shows almost a totally different person.

"That was the easy part! The hard part is finding a good spot to use as a lab, and then finding the supplies. So start thinking about what you need, but let's look through some locations I found earlier. Ready?" Marcus said.

Emma finally put her hands down from her face and nodded, "Sure! Thank you again, Marcus… I can't even tell you how this feels. I'll do anything I can to make this up to you," Emma promised.

"No problem! We're allies. We're going to be helping each other a lot from now on," Marcus explained.

Emma smiled wide. Wrench looked over and noticed how her eyes squinted when she smiled, but she was smiling at Marcus. He suddenly wanted to be next to them for any reason. He grabbed his box of gadgets and sat down with them at the end of the table, sitting diagonally from Emma and Marcus. "Don't mind me, just got tired of standing," Wrench muttered as he continued to go through his things.

"What are you even doing?" Emma asked softly, curiously.

"Wrench is a hoarder," Marcus joked.

"Not hoarding, Marcus! One of these little chips could save our lives one day," Wrench answered holding up a microchip he pulled from an old CrTV.

"Sounds like something a hoarder would say," Emma smiled.

"Keep joking. You two will come to me to save the world, and then we'll see who laughs," Wrench winked through his mask, "But for now I'm just sorting the junk from the not junk." Emma smiled. His enthusiasm for his craft warmed her original negative opinion of him. She understood he was just stressed out earlier, but she thought she'd be able to get along with him and his habits. She would at least make an effort, due to them being allies.

Emma turned her body slightly to Wrench to talk to him better, "One time, I was trying to modify an airsoft gun to shoot pins out to detonate gas bombs from far away, and I had to use springs from pens, and parts from old children's' toys from a thrift store to put it all together," Emma explained with enthusiasm. She turned to Marcus mid story, leaving Wrench to display two heart icons on his mask, Marcus noticing and giving him a questionable expression, "Took me like 6 hours to sort through all the toys and I eventually found one piece that'd work," Emma turned back to Wrench giving him just enough time to go back to his happy expression without Emma noticing, "So I've been there, but I don't know about it saving the world," She finished.

"Never thought of the gold that'd be inside old toys," Wrench said.

"Yeah I had no idea until I went to the thrift store. Helped me ghetto-rig so many of my projects," Emma smiled. It felt so nice to be able to actually talk about her projects with someone. It's been over a year since she even got to work in a lab, let alone modify anything. All the pent up enthusiasm just started to spill out, "When I get my lab, want to go part hunting with me?" Emma asked.

"Hell yeah!" Wrench answered, maybe a bit too quickly. He thought he was just feeding off Emma's enthusiasm, but he didn't want to admit that he couldn't wait to go. Why did it have to take so long to find the right spot for a lab, he wondered. Speaking of, he remembered where he was and turned his attention to Marcus, who was leaning his head on his hand, donning a small grin on his face.

"Neeeeeeeerds," Marcus drawled out.

Emma turned back to Marcus and regained her composure, "Better get used to it, ally," She said.

Marcus went back to the laptop and resumed locations scouting with Emma looking over, offering her opinion. Every now and then she'd peek over at Wrench to see him struggling with taking a gadget apart, or tossing something aside.

Little did she know, Wrench was in the prime position to look over to Emma. He saw her peak over a couple times. The mask did well with hiding where he was looking. He didn't want to stare, knowing it was creepy, but still took the time to notice that her clothes and hair were a bit disheveled from her recent nap, but he liked it. Wrench's type was always girls with long dark hair, and she wasn't an exception. She wasn't dressed in anything special, what with skinny jeans and a black tank top, covered with a striped cardigan, but he prefered the casual look as she made it look good. He still didn't know much about her, but he was very happy to have her as an ally already.

"They're all really good, Marcus. Whichever is the easiest for you to get," Emma said.

"Well if there isn't a preference… this one is the closest to here, this one is close to your old place, and this one is close to Wrench's garage. It'd be best to separate our bases as much as possible, so…" Marcus trailed off.

"Or it might be safer to have her closer if she has a stalker," Wrench offered casually, not looking up from a chip he was taking apart.

"Closer to here?" Marcus asked and looked at Wrench, baiting him to suggest his garage.

Wrench, still not looking up, shrugged and answered with a, "Wherever."

"We'll see what Sitara and Ray say when she comes back. She'd kill us if we made a decision without everyone's inputs," Marcus said.

"I can't see a conversation with… what was it? Ray?" Emma asked, Marcus nodded, "Can't see it going well."

"He's hard headed and paranoid, but he has Dedsec's best interest in mind. He won't vote for a bad decision," Marcus assured her.

"Best interest, really?" Wrench asked.

"In the longrun! Ray's a tough egg to crack. He got off on the wrong foot with half of us here so far, but he's alright," Marcus said. "This… Owen, you know if he ever mentioned a Ray Kenney? He's kind of a hacker legend."

Emma hated talking about Owen, "He didn't mention hacking stuff or Dedsec at all. He framed me, and I found all that stuff out months later," Emma explained looking down, playing with her hands.

"How did he get away with it?" Marcus asked, referring to framing her without her even knowing.

"He's manipulative. I'm not proud of it, but I fell for it," Emma explained. She was silent for a bit longer before she stood up from the table.

"Hey, Emma, I'm sorry I didn't mean to -" Marcus started, standing up after her.

Emma smiled and held her hands up, "No no, it's okay. Just need to… um… walk around," Emma said starting to pace. Wrench looked at her, hiding his concern. Was it too soon to give her a friendly, comforting hug? He looked back at Marcus, who felt bad for bringing it up. Emma noticed and stopped pacing, "Guys, really it's fine! I just get fidgety when I start thinking too much."

"Just don't let Josh see you. Pacing makes _him_ nervous," Marcus said.

"Not looking," Josh's voice was heard from his computer.

Emma didn't want to talk about Owen anymore, she decided, "So when we narrow down a place, what's next?" Emma asked putting her hands on her hips, not knowing what else to do with herself.

"Get supplies and move you in, of course." Marcus answered.

"You know ordering chemicals is really difficult, right? You need authorization and licenses and…" Emma trailed off at Marcus's knowing look, "Right… hackers. I keep forgetting. I don't know how I feel about you guys um… 'hacking' to get things," She said, but she really mean to say 'steal.'

"We're not criminals you know. We get processing power from the Dedsec followers that support us. We only take down big corporations like Blume and Nvite. No innocent being is going to be compromised at all. You understand, right?" Marcus explained kindly placing a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her. Emma nodded, not having any other response. She wanted her lab. She once said she'd do anything to be able to be a chemist again, but now that her dream was finally happening, she was fearing the consequences. "It'll be okay," Marcus said again.

"You'll end up doing a lot more good than Blume and Nvite ever will in their whole life," Wrench added.

"Yeah…guess I'm just nervous, but in a good way," Emma said.

The doors to the Hackerspace was heard opening and in came Sitara with a large excited grin, "Guess whaaaat?" Sitara asked.

"I don't think I'm ready to play this game with you," Emma said.

"Weelllll if you were going to guess that I got your supplies set up, then you'd be right!" Sitara said with a proud grin.

"Whoa, what? How? I mean… Already?" Emma stuttered, not sure what she wanted answered first.

"It was easier than I thought. We already had access to Blume, so I just re-routed all the deliveries for one of their science divisions to a third party vendor, who works with Dedsec, and he'll deliver to whatever place we find for you," Sitara said clearly ecstatic about the news for her old friend, but tried to hold her own composure.

Emma stared dumbfounded, "Just like that?" She managed to ask putting her hands to her face again.

"I even have you added in the Blume registry with a fake identity, so there's a foolproof plan in case anyone gets smart to the deliveries. They have out-labs all over the place, it wouldn't be anything new," Sitara continued.

"This is happening to fast," Emma muttered, still trying to process the information. She couldn't believe it, "I want to say thank you, but that's not enough..."

"Dedsec doesn't waste time. You're an ally. I'm doing work for you so you can help us, too. Hope you're ready for your lab ag-" Sitara said but got cut off my Emma crashing her body into hers for a big hug. Sitara lightly returned the hug by patting her back.

Emma pulled back, "This is amazing! I'm going to have a lab again!" She exclaimed looking between everyone, even Josh who just walked up, "Oh my god, I love you guys, you have no idea how -"

"Save that mush for never," Sitara interrupted, "Let's go celebrate!" She cheered, locking her arm with Emma's and guided her upstairs.

Sitara and Emma were already upstairs when Josh, Marcus and Wrench were heading up. "I saw those icons, man," Marcus said with a sly grin.

Wrench shrugged, "I don't know what you're talking about, Marcus."

"Ohhh Emma, let's go on a date and smash old 80's toys together, and then each other!" Marcus said in a mocking tone.

Wrench turned back to hush him, extra thankful for his mask obscuring his reddened face "You thought it was for her? Please, just thinking about what we can find in old toys is exciting!"

"Uh huh," Marcus said, not believing him, but let it go.

~~~Baker Beach~~~

Everyone but Ray sat at the beach around a fire, sharing drinks. The sun set recently, but it was already dark enough. The fire illuminated all their faces, showing pure content or happiness from the group.

"What's wrong with Scarecrow?!" Emma exclaimed leaning over, careful not to knock her beer over. It was true, she loved Batman, especially how creative the villains were. Scarecrow was a villain using fear gas to bring out and exploit one's greatest fears. She knew fear gas was above comprehension, but that did not stop her from creating other types of gas bombs.

"Oh come on he's suuuuch a one trick pony!" Wrench argued, Marcus agreeing with him silently as he took a swig of his beer battle.

"Fear has no limits!" Emma argued.

"Funny that such a simple thing could stop such a terror," Wrench said dramatically, pointing at his own mask, referring to the fact that a mask could prevent one from breathing in fear gas.

"I said he has great potential as villain, not that he's the strongest!" Emma said almost shouting.

"Pipe down with the nerd shit before the whole beach joins in, yeah?" Sitara interjected.

"Sorry, booze makes me yap," Emma said covering her mouth not caring that it wasn't going to help.

"And deaf apparently," Wrench said.

Emma laughed and lightly nudged him, "Shut up!" He was already bracing himself, so her light nudge didn't do much.

"How did we get from Aliens to Scarecrow?" Josh asked. They all stayed silent thinking it over and gave up just as quickly.

"Remember your beach initiation?" Sitara asked Marcus.

"Like it was yesterday!" He exclaimed, even though it was about 6 months ago.

"This is a pretty great place to hang out, huh?" Emma accidentally slurred as she looked around.

"Aaaaand I think that's enough booze for Emma," Wrench said pretending to take her beer bottle away from her.

She held it tighter and pulled it out of reach, "I'm fiiine."

"It's perfect to come and decompose at. No tech. Just the ocean, some hipsters, and a nice view," Sitara said taking a swig, looking at the partial city landscape before her.

Emma followed Sitara's eyesight, taking in the view. What Sitara didn't mention, was friends… Emma always had a lower than average amount of tech, the ocean, and hipsters at her job. The only thing that was missing in her life is with her right now.

Maybe it was the mood, or the alcohol, but she didn't know what compelled her to look to her left. When she did, her eyes settled comfortably on Wrench. She wondered what he looked like under that mask, and why he was always hiding it. Wrench felt eyes on him and he turned his head slowly over to his right, but too fast for Emma's slow reaction time and caught her turning her head back to look straight ahead. Has she been staring at him, he wondered. She was glad the fire would obscure her blushing face. Wrench held up his beer bottle, waiting for her to notice. Emma's eyes went back to Wrench, seeing the happy icons displaying on his mask. Her face turned even more red, knowing he caught her staring, but she smiled as she brought up her own bottle, letting them clank lightly together.

Yeah. She was happy again.


	3. 3 - Stick Around

Hey again! Thanks again for the continuing follows/favorites/reviews ^_^ Hope you enjoy!

-Blink

* * *

~~~Somewhere in San Francisco~~~

Emelia slowly peeked her eyes open, instantly regretting it as a shooting pain went through her head. She groaned and pressed her hand against her temple, hoping it'd help yet fully knowing it won't. Emma turned her face further into the cover, taking a moment too long to fully realize she's in someone's bed. She shot her head up, ignoring the pain in her head, suddenly more concerned about her surroundings. Whose bed was she in and how did she get there, she thought. She looked around, noticing a pretty normal bedroom. The only people she remembered hanging out with were Dedsec, and she didn't remember what happened after the beach. The memory of Wrench's smiling mask popped into her head for a moment and her face paled. Surely, this room was too normal to be Wrench's. It was too empty. Maybe a spare bedroom, she thought. She fully sat up, almost completely numb to the pain in her head. The blanket fell off her body and she felt self conscious until she realized she was fully clothed in yesterday's outfit.

"Oh you're alive," Sitara's voice spoke startling Emma.

"Oh god," Emma put her heart on her chest, "Sitara, it's you." She sighed with relief.

Sitara smirked, "Expecting someone else?" She asked with a coy grin.

Emma ignored the question, not comprehending the underlying meaning of it, and began rubbing her temples again. The fear of not knowing where she was only temporarily subdued the headache, "Is this your place?"

"Sure is, sweetie. Welcome to my spare room. There's some advil and water next to you," She said.

Emma groaned, feeling too much pain to actually lean over and grab it. She lazily extended her arm to the nightstand, not making an actual effort to grab it. Sitara got the hint and rolled her eyes and she walked over to the nightstand to hand Emma the contents.

"You're a goddess," Emma muttered as she took 2 advils and drank enough water to swallow it down, "What even happened last night? I don't remember leaving the beach."

"Yeah, you put on quite the show," Sitara said and sat on the foot of the bed to talk to her friend.

Emma's eyes widened, "Wh-wh-whu-what do you..." She stammered.

"Yeahhh, you kept trying to go back to Wrench's place," Sitara said.

Emma's heart sank, "No I didn't," She stared back with wide eyes, convincing herself it wasn't true. She wished her body had the energy to express what her mind was thinking.

Sitara just laughed, "I'm just kidding. You two were kinda all over each other though, it was gross. And when you tried to take your shirt off…"

"My...shirt…" Emma just repeated quietly, letting information process.

Sitara loved the look on Emma's face, "Oh my god, kidding again!"

"Sitara, i'm going to throw up all over your bed." Emma deadpanned.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Sitara shrugged.

"I'm so proud of past, wasted me," Emma cheered.

"Well, don't be too proud, cause that was a joke too. Last one, I swear."

"Dammit! You can't even let me have that one?" Emma laid back down.

"Don't get too comfortable. It's 11am and we have a big day ahead of us," Sitara said hopping off the bed.

"You know I don't trust a single thing you say now, right?" Emma said not even looking at Sitara.

"Jokes are done, sorry, you're just such an easy target right now," Sitara said.

"For real though, what happened?" Emma asked. She thought there had to be a reason Sitara kept bringing up Wrench; maybe she did or said something embarrassing.

"You were basically falling asleep on Wrench so I just took you here. See? Boring. I had to come up with something more exciting. You did try to go swimming though," Sitara shrugged.

"Guess it could have been worse," Emma said, relieved, yet slightly blushing from the knowledge of falling asleep on Wrench. She vaguely remembered little bits and pieces from last night. "Remind me not to drink too much, please? It's been so long since I've been out with friends, I guess I got carried away."

"Everyone says that during a hangover. Now hurry up and get ready," Sitara said and walked out. Emma just groaned and covered her face.

~~~Mission Rock Avenue~~~

Emma wasn't exactly paying attention to where Sitara was leading her. Her eyes were straight ahead, but her vision wasn't focusing on anything. She couldn't even recall having a single thought on the way to an apartment Sitara was showing her. One member of Dedsec had an apartment as a hideout in San Francisco and was temporarily in Boston for a few months, giving Emma enough time to find her own place until he comes back.

"I wonder what kinda things I could say and get away with," Sitara said amused by Emma's dead expression. It was clear the hangover hasn't gone away yet.

"Oh, i'm hearing you… Just not processing it," Emma muttered.

Sitara guided her into an apartment that Emma was sure she'd forget how to get to later. The apartment was on the 4th floor, if Emma counted correctly. Surprisingly, the trek up the stairs seemed to help her hangover, or maybe it was the lack of a bright sun in her eyes.

"Aaaand here it is, what do you think?" Sitara asked opening the door.

Emma looked around. It was already furnished. Basic, but good enough. Especially for a temporary home. "Good enough for me," She answered smiling. "Can I nap now?"

"Look, we're on a tight schedule if you want to get your lab up and running. Maybe you should keep the drinking to a minimum?" Sitara offered.

"I didn't think we'd be doing this," Emma said gesturing around her, "Some heads up would have been good while I was downing my 3rd beer."

"Didn't think you'd have 3 more after! Plus, Dedsec doesn't make plans. We see an opportunity, and go for it," Sitara said.

"Yeah, well I'm not Dedsec remember?" Emma muttered.

"I know, but I am." Sitara finished.

Emma nodded. She knew Sitara understood, but the more time she spends with her, the less she thinks her wishes are being respected. It's impossible to a certain extent, being so close to everyone and going out drinking with them. "Can I get some clothes or something?" Emma asked.

"Oh yeah," Sitara said pulling a wallet out of her pocket and handed it to Emma, "This is you now."

Emma reluctantly grabbed the wallet and peeked inside. 2 credit cards and an I.D. "Jodie Smith?"

"You're not unofficially an official Blume Scientist! Well, Jodie is, with a $25,000 credit limit. Little Emelia is a mad scientist trying to recreate fear gas," Sitara said.

"I've never tried that!" Emma defended.

"Don't pretend that's not what you've been thinking about, you psycho," Sitara laughed and plopped down on the couch.

"A mixture of Carbogen and hallucinogens. I haven't _been_ thinking about it, cause I already have and gave up," Emma said and sat down next to Sitara, "It's just impossible the way it works in comic books."

"Maybe I should re-think you working with me…" Sitara said.

"Too late. What's on for the rest of the day though? I'd really like to sleep some more if I can," Emma said.

"We got some project we're working on and meeting at Wrench's garage in a bit. So I guess you can sleep the day away," Sitara said.

Emma nodded. Part of her was glad to be able to sleep, but another part of her wanted to be included. No, she wasn't a part of Dedsec. Why would they invite her? She thought briefly about being alone in an apartment and didn't like it. Owen could always find her, no matter where she is. Using a credit card that isn't hers, he'd find her. Living in an apartment that is under someone else's name, a Dedsec member nonetheless, he'd still find her. She didn't want to be alone, but she didn't want to admit it to Sitara or herself. Her independence was important and she didn't want to seem weak.

"What are you thinking?" Sitara asked softly.

Emma snapped her head to look at Sitara and let a quick breath of air out, "Oh, nothing, you know... just still kinda hungover," She said.

Sitara knew Emma was lying but didn't press the issue. Whatever it was, Emma would have to come out and say it. Not that she didn't care about her friends well-being, she just didn't want to pry anymore. Sitara lightly patted her friend's knee and stood up, "Well I'm off… Oh! Before i forget, I got you a phone. There's no way you're going to talk to us with a damn flip phone," Sitara said handing her a smart phone.

Emma grabbed it out of instinct, realizing she didn't want it when it was already too late, "Owen could…"

"Don't worry, Owen isn't going to find this, because it's got Sitara's Super Awesome Unhackable Software!" Sitara said proudly.

"You got a shorter name for that?"

"Working on it. Everyone's phone number is in there if you ever need someone," She saluted and left.

Emma didn't like this. She knew she was going to have to call someone. Either a panic attack will set in, or worse… Owen might actually find out and do something. Sitara promised she'd be safe, but she knew Owen was dangerous and crafty. He probably had eyes on her. She didn't want to call anyone… Only knowing these people for a little over a day and already showing weakness and neediness? It wasn't her style. She sighed and laid back on the couch. Before too long, she drifted off into her much needed sleep.

~~~Wrench's Garage~~~

Months ago, they used the Cyber Driver car to make a point, as well as bring attention to Dedsec. This time, they wanted to be ready with the tech just in case. Or at least practice with new tech. Someone would piss them off or want to fight Dedsec, but they would always be one step ahead.

Marcus was inside a car, messing with radio wires, as Wrench was under the hood, typing away at a laptop that was connected to a part of the car via cables. Josh was off to the side, researching on his laptop. "That Cyber Driver was a real good test run. Smart cars aren't as complex as people think," Marcus said.

"Not any harder than working with a computer. Almost literally now," Wrench said noting his work on his laptop.

Sitara finally walked in, "Finally here, boys. I situated Emma in her new apartment."

"Heyyy, how's Emma doing?" Marcus asked when she walked in, still working with the wires.

"Hungover," Sitara laughed, "She was such an easy target, I almost felt bad. I was messing with her so much."

"Haven't seen her in years; wastes no time messing with her. Must be rough being your friend, Sitara," Wrench said, winking through his mask.

"I told her she was trying to go home with you," Sitara said, smiling toward Wrench.

Marcus laughed and Wrench almost dropped his laptop, "Whyyy the hell-?" He said not knowing how else to respond, "Now she's gonna be all weird around me," He said muttering that last part with annoyance.

"Don't worry, she didn't believe me," Sitara reassured him, even if it was a bit of a lie.

"Ouch," He said feigning offense at the knowledge Emma wouldn't find that believable.

"Why do you even care? The Wrench I know loves a friendly troll," Sitara asked.

"He liiiiiikes her," Marcus drawled out from inside the car, borderline giggling.

"Ohhh," Sitara grinned with eyebrows high up.

"Wh-Marcus!" Wrench scolded.

"What's wrong with that? I like Emma too," Josh said strolling up, "She's nice."

"Yeah, me too, but Wrench likes her enough to -" Marcus began.

"Hey-ey-ey, I like Emma just as much as everyone else here does, alright? The regular amount!" Wrench defended, gesturing his arms out in front of everyone.

"Mmhmm. Anyway, what's the progress boys?" She asked.

"Almost done with the rewiring. Then we gotta test the smart car replacements. We're getting wayyy good at this," Marcus said, casually bragging.

"Never good enough, remember. We always have to be one step ahead," Sitara said, "Where's Ray, anyway?"

"He said he had something to do. I don't know, he was being weird all day," Wrench answered quietly, however, clearly still agitated by the recent conversation.

"Sitara, the guys are ready," Josh said strolling up.

"Guys?" Marcus asked, stepping out of the car as he was finished rewiring.

"We have a surprise when you guys get back to the hackerspace. Just stay out for at least 4 hours," She answered.

"Sounds like extreme home makeovers. You redecorating?" Marcus said.

"You'll just have to wait and see!" Sitara said walking out, Josh trailing behind her.

As soon as they were out of eyesight, Wrench grabbed the first tool that was next to him and threw it at Marcus, "Owww the fuck man?"

Wrench got up from his seated position in the car and walked closer to Marcus, "Why did you say that to Sitara?"

"So? If you say it's not true, who cares?" Marcus asked.

"You know how girls are! They talk about _everything_ , and the last thing I want is to be the awkward topic of two gossiping girls," Wrench said.

"Something tells me they're not the gossiping type," Marcus said. He was amused at how uncomfortable Wrench was acting.

"We can only hope," Wrench muttered.

"Well, we got four hours to spend, so we can either keep gossiping ourselves or get this shit done," Marcus said.

"Better take our time then. This will take two hours normally," Wrench said.

~~~Outside of San Francisco ~~~ Corkey's Bar~~~

Ray was at a table in the corner of a bar. His eyes were darting between everyone as he was drinking his beer. He couldn't remember how long he's been there, waiting. He found a lead on someone he was tracking. Someone who he couldn't tell the other Dedsec members about just yet. He put his drink down, looking at how much he had left, deciding he was going to get up to get another once he was done. Movement to the left of him got his attention and he watched as someone sat down in front of him. Ray stared hard at the man, who was wearing a hood.

"I believe you've met my dear Emelia," The man in front of Ray spoke.

~~~Wrench's Garage ~~~ A few hours later~~~

The sun had just set when Marcus and Wrench finished with their adjustments. They were packing up to meet back at the hackerspace. Marcus was packing up his backpack as Wrench was wiping his hands down with a towel.

"Well, we got the main things out of the way," Marcus said heading toward the garage door.

Wrench tossed the towel aside and followed Marcus out, "Now to make adjustments as we please. Good work, Marcus," Wrench said holding his fist out.

Marcus tapped Wrench's fist with his and waited as Wrench unlocked the garage door and opened the door. Marcus walked out first, and turned to his left to see Emma standing there who look startled at the sight. "Emma?" Marcus said. Wrench shot his attention over as he lowered the garage door, feeling a warm sensation in his stomach when he heard her name, "What's up?"

She was holding a small box in front of her, looking nervous and trying to make herself smaller, "Hey, sorry… Sitara said you'd all be here and I got kinda… I don't know, bored."

"Oh, yeah she was here a few hours ago, but had to leave. Are you okay?" Marcus asked concerned. Wrench finally finished locking his garage door and walked up to the two.

"Hi," She smiled warmly at Wrench, not really making eye contact. She was still nervous about learning that she almost fell asleep on him last night.

"Good to see you," He said awkwardly, smiling back through his mask. He was usually pretty awkward around women to begin with, but remembering what Sitara told him made him even more nervous. He just didn't want her to feel uncomfortable and be weird around him.

"You too… and yeah I'm good, just, uh, I made these," She said holding out a box of cookies. She wasn't bored. She just didn't want to be alone anymore. Making deserts was something she did to get her mind off of things if she could. No better way to break in her new apartment than to stress out, pace, and make cookies. Marcus grabbed the box of cookies, "There's chocolate chip and peanut butter. I made way too much, but figured you'd all eventually get through them."

"Oh man I didn't know you baked! These look great!" Marcus said already grabbing a chocolate chip one.

"Anytime. Baking is fun. Guess, I'll see you guys later?" Emma smiled and shoved her hands in her long, dark green windbreaker jacket.

"You came by just for cookies?" Marcus asked muffled by the cookie.

"No, I thought Sitara would be here too, and kinda just needed a girl to talk to," Emma said sticking her tongue out, feeling stupid, "Anyway, sorry to bother you. Enjoy your -"

"You could come with us!" Wrench spit out. Marcus looked at him, "We're meeting at the hackerspace. You can hand over the cookies yourself, instead of, you know, making us carry all these by ourselves."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are 32 cookies too much for your noodle arms?" Emma smirked.

"I was slaving under a hot car all day, give me a break!" He said holding his hands out for extra effect.

"How about we compromise and let me handle the cookies?" Marcus said and started walking backwards, Wrench and Emma following suit.

"Just make sure not to eat all of them before we get there," Wrench said.

~~~Hackerspace~~~

Sitara and Josh finished setting up two new futons replacing the old singular one. Sitara loved her Dedsec family. Even though having a professional status between Dedsec is the smarter option, she wanted them to grow closer and never doubt each other's trust. Having a few movie nights here and there may be just the thing.

Josh sat down on one, feeling the seat around him.

"What do you think?" Sitara asked.

"Better than the last futon," Josh stated simply.

Sitara smiled, "That's because Wrench found that last one. He's going to throw a fit when he finds out I threw it out."

"You didn't ask?" Josh asked.

"The only way to get rid of it is to not tell him. And I know just to thing to help him get over it," Sitara shrugged and lifted up a copy of Predator.

"He's seen it a hundred times." Josh said.

"Doesn't matter. Trust me on this, hun," Sitara said. The door to the hackerspace was heard opening, "Speak of the devil," She said and walked by the stairs welcoming them, hearing Marcus, Wrench and Emma speaking.

"I have to agree with Marcus on this one," Emma was heard saying.

"Shit on Wrench day is a go!" Wrench was heard saying.

Sitara internally cringed, worrying that Wrench might already be in a bad mood and might take the futon news worse than she thought. "Hey, boyyyssss. And Emma," Sitara drawled out.

"Sitara!" She cheered and handed her cookies. Sitara looked at her at her strangely, not expecting for her to be so upbeat. She grabbed the box of cookies, "I made cookies for everyone. I hope you don't mind that I'm here. I went to the garage, but you already left by the time I got there."

"Always happy to have you here, dear," Sitara smiled. She thought back to what Marcus said about Wrench's crush on Emma. Maybe having her around means he won't cause a scene about the new furniture, "And do I have a surprise for you!" Sitara stepped back and gestured toward the new futons.

"Nice! New couches! And there's 2," Marcus said.

"Futons. But we can now have those movie nights that we were talking about," Sitara said.

"Another opportunity for you to shoot down all of my suggestions!" Wrench said, but he couldn't deny liking the new futons, before he realize what it had replaced, "Wait what happened to that last one?" He asked looking back at Sitara.

"Well… you know. Kinda had to make a hardware update," Sitara said. Wrench's mask went blank and before he was able to respond, she put her arm around Emma, "Emma likes them, right?"

"Uh… yeah," Emma said softly knowing her opinion doesn't have much merit considering she isn't part of Dedsec and didn't use the hackerspace. She also only saw that couch once the other day.

"But we've had it for so long, and I didn't even get to say goodbye and -"

"Wow, you really are a hoarder," Emma laughed lightly covering her mouth. She thought it was cute, but she didn't want to admit it.

Wrench wanted to continue arguing that he wasn't a hoarder, but realized all of his planned disputes would only but him deeper in the whole. Perhaps it was time for an upgrade. He knew he was somewhat resistant to change, and perhaps a bit possessive of his belongings. He just looked over at the new couches, hands on his hips., slowly attempting to process the change. Couldn't they just have asked him what to do with the old one, he thought.

Sitara mentally thanked Emma and she squeezed her a bit tighter for a second before letting go to grab the DVD on the futon, lifting up the case, "And we're going to break them in with… Predator! Care to ….stick around?" Sitara said quoting the movie.

Wrench squinted through his mask, sighing, displaying two flat solid lines for a moment, "What happened to you, Sitara? You used to be someone I could trust," Wrench responded with another quote from the movie.

"We going to start movie night or keep quoting it?" Marcus asked, his mouth muffled with a cookie.

"Oh, is that what was happening? I thought this discussion was just getting heated," Emma said.

"Wait, you've never seen Predator?" Marcus asked, speech muffled with cookies.

"Jesus, Marcus, how many have you eaten already?" Emma asked.

"6?" He answered uncertainly.

"Forget that! Emma, you've never seen Predator?!" Wrench asked with exclamation points displaying on his mask.

"I'm sure I did when I was really young, but… Nothing that I can remember from it," Emma said, feeling shy. She felt out of place suddenly. Not only for not being hacker, but now for not seeing such an apparently important film.

"Sitara, what are we waiting for?" Wrench asked grabbing the DVD from Sitara, grabbing Emma's wrist lightly and pulling her toward the couch, without much resistance on her part, "Have a seat, my dear?" He kindly offered her a seat on the couch, gesturing his arm out like he was offering her a carriage. She complied and stared back as he popped in the DVD.

"I don't get why we have to watch this. We've seen it so many times," Josh said.

Wrench pointed at Josh, "You don't understand!" Wrench said, he turned to Emma as he sat down, "You're gonna love it," He clicked through the remote to go through the menus.

Sitara strolled up offering a beer to Wrench and Emma, Wrench accepting one, Emma shaking her head, remembering her hangover from earlier. She and Marcus sat down on the other couch, Sitara giving Emma a coy look. Emma noticed it and felt her face turn warm as she glared at Sitara.

"Can't wait to be able to quote it like you guys can," Emma said, "I know 'get to the choppah' and the one about pushing too many pencils or something."

"What's the matter? The CIA got you pushing too many pencils?" Wrench and Marcus both quoted with enthusiasm.

"Okay, leave something as a surprise," Emma joked.

"Make it easy on yourself, Dutch!" Wrench immediately said.

Emma turned her head to stare at him, waiting for him to look back at her. When he did, she asked "That was another quote, wasn't it?"

Wrench looked at Emma, displaying a smile through his mask, "Last one, I'm sorry," He said. Emma smiled back and lightly shoved his arm, only causing him to let out a soft chuckle.

It took a lot out of Wrench and Marcus to not quote the movie out loud during their favorite parts, but they tried so Emma could pay attention and enjoy the movie for what it was. They provided their own commentary, impressing Emma how much they knew about the film, and the lore behind the Predator series. It made her want to get into it, too. Good thing she was around just the right people to help her know everything there was to it. She could trade some mad Batman knowledge though, she suggested.

After about halfway through the movie, the hackerspace doors were heard opening, followed by Ray descending the stairs, "So I found some really interesting news today, kiddos," He said, looking like he was suppressing anger.

Wrench turned, "Can it wait an hour? We're watching Predator and Emma's never seen it."

"I have! I was just like 8," She defended.

"Doesn't count," Wrench said quickly.

"Oh perfect! Just the person I wanted to see!" He said when he noticed Emma. She furrowed an eyebrow in confusion.

"Whoa, man," Marcus said suggesting he calm down.

"I ran into Cyb0rg today," Ray continued. Everyone but Sitara suddenly became very interested in what he had to say now.

"In person?" Wrench asked.

"Who's Cyb0rg?" Emma asked meekly. Wrench turned around and was about to explain to her before Ray cut him off.

"Don't you play coy with me, kid, you know exactly who he is," Ray almost spit out.

"Ray…" Sitara warned.

"I have no idea who you're talking about," Emma pressed on, more force in her voice.

"The one guy that tries to undo everything Dedsec ever does. You might know him as your ex boyfriend? That's why you looked so familiar to me!" Ray said.

Emma's face expressed her confusion and everyone turned heads to her, while Sitara got off the couch to walk over to Ray.

"Wait… Owen is Cyb0rg?" Marcus asked.

Wrench let out a laugh, "Oh my god… Cyb0rg's name is Owen."

"Okay, Regi-"

"Heyheyhey!" Wrench interrupted him.

Emma stood up involuntarily, something that she did from stressing out, "I haven't talked to Owen in over a year and I have no idea what the whole Cyb0rg deal is!" Emma said.

"Ray, she has no idea…" Sitara said calmly, "I called her to help us. This wasn't some master scheme by anyone."

"You voluntarily brought Cyb0rg's spy in here. Are we sure you're not with him, too?" Ray asked. He was more calm at this point, but still angry.

"What's gotten into you? We're supposed to trust each other," Sitara said offended.

"That's what I thought, too. I've been in the business for a long time, Sitara, and I'm tired of running into traitors," He said.

"I'm not a traitor! He's lying!" Emma finally spit out, wanting to cry.

"How are we supposed to believe that? How else would he know everything? You know what he could do with all of our data, and the locations of our hideouts?" Ray pressed on.

"I… I didn't… I would never do that," Emma stuttered, "He's been trying to ruin my life, he just wants to manipulate you like he's manipulated me!" She yelled, tears building up in her eyes.

"Save the victim card, I've seen it too many times," Ray said flatly. At this point Marcus and Wrench both stood up, telling him he's gone too far.

Emma was taken aback by what he said. She walked up to Ray, "Fuck. You." She said shoving him and marched up the stairs, heading toward the exit to the hackerspace. She couldn't deal with it anymore. Owen himself ruined her life, and he was doing it through her allies next.

Sitara continued to berate Ray. Marcus and Wrench looked at each other. Wrench thought Sitara would go after Emma to stop her and comfort her. If she wasn't going to, someone had to. Marcus nodded toward the stairs, signaling Wrench to be the one to go get Emma. Wrench quickly walked out, leaving the argument behind him.

"Ray, c'mon man, can't you see she has no idea?" Marcus asked.

"He's tortured her and made her sacrifice her own life for him. She'd never work with him," Sitara said slowly with anger.

"I know," Ray said.

Marcus and Sitara were confused, "What?" They asked.

"I had to make that believable. Cyb0rg's has mic's on her. He nearly bragged about creeping on her every few nights when she's asleep to install a new mic," Ray explained.

"That…. Fucked up…. Creep!" Marcus said feeling disgusted.

"You really talked to him?" Sitara asked, still processing the tonal change.

"I met up with a goon that works for him. Cyb0rg and I spoke through him. It was weird. He said he convinced Emma to work for him and that he places mic's on her in spots she doesn't even know so that it'd be harder to us to tell where it is. Didn't take much to realize what he was really saying," Ray said.

"I wish you gave us some sort of warning, jesus christ, Ray!" Sitara said shoving him.

"I'll apologize to her later. We have to do something about avoiding any hacking he might do," Ray said setting up a laptop. Sitara and Marcus set there's up and followed suite, "She's right by the way. He's a manipulator. I was just able to see through his lies."

~~~Outside~~~

Emma almost stomped outside, feeling the chill air hit her but feeling too emotionally numb to care. Her tears freely streaming down her face, no longer worried about anyone seeing her turn weak.

"Emma, wait!" Wrench called out. She didn't stop walking away. He continued to go after her, pulling her arm lightly to slow her down. He moved around to stand in front of her, blocking her from continuing forward, "Come back. We can talk it out with him." He wasn't sure what she wanted to hear, or what would even help her feel better. He just wanted her to come back.

"Please let me go," She said through her tears, covering her face.

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to let you leave after that. We can talk," Wrench said.

"I'm not a traitor…" She said, crying.

"I know you're not, and we can convince Ray!" He encouraged.

She shook her head, "No more convincing. He won't believe me."

"We'll find a way, okay? I promise," He said trying to get her to look up at him.

Her eyes focused on the ground, "It doesn't matter. Owen will just keep trying to tear me away from everyone. He'll say and do anything. I give up. He wins."

"Well, he'll have to kill me first if he wants to tear you away from me," Wrench said casually. He didn't waste a moment to respond to her. He was spitting out exactly how he was feeling.

Emma finally looked up at him with wide, worried eyes, "And he will," She said and pushed herself away from him, able to go around.

"Emma... " Wrench said weakly, unsure what else to say.

"Just leave me alone," She muttered coldly and walked away.

Wrench's shoulders dropped slightly as he watched her walk off. He cursed under his breath as he kicked the nearest piece of trash on the dirty streets of San Francisco. He wanted to find Owen right then and there and kill him, and make sure Emma would never have to worry about him ever again. But he knew about Owen.. 'Cyb0rg.' No one's ever met him face to face, they say. No one's ever been able to successfully track him. Blume has him protected. But Dedsec can. This time, Dedsec will find him. Wrench will make sure of it.

He marched back inside ready to let Ray have it.

"You son of a bitch!" he yelled, honing in on Ray quickly.

Marcus quickly got in the way and stopped Wrench from walking any further, "Wrench, buddy, relax!"

"Don't tell me you're on his side again!" Wrench said to Marcus, pointing at Ray.

"Wrench, it was an act." Sitara said quickly, also walking up to him to calm him down.

"An act?" Wrench asked angrily, demanding an explanation.

"Cyb0rg planted mics on her. Ray believed what Emma was saying, he just had to make the argument convincing so Cyb0rg thinks his plan is working," Sitara explained.

"I have to go get her," Wrench said to himself before Sitara stopped him, telling him no. "She's out there by herself crying, she needs to hear this! Or texted to her or something," Wrench said pulling out his phone.

"I'll apologize to her tomorrow. I know it sucks right now, but it has to be believable. That includes her crying." Ray explained.

Wrench didn't like this. He let out a yell as he turned around and kicked a chair. He turned back to Ray, pointing at his chest, "You better fucking fix this," Wrench threatened.

"She might be exactly what we need to end Cyb0rg's reign once and for all," Ray said.


	4. 4 - Secret Base

Hey everyone :D Thanks for the new follows/favorites/reviews! I wish there was a way to publicly respond to reviews without copy/pasting them here. I'm really glad you guys are enjoying the story! My biggest worry is trying to keep everyone in character, so I hope I'm doing them justice.

Anyway, this week for me is slightly busier than normal for me so it miiiight be a bit until the next one. BUT I wrote a SUPER LONG ONE to tie you over ;). I also felt like I wanted to get a lot across at once and I didn't want to cut it in half or anything.

I hope you enjoy this one!

-Blink

* * *

If DedSec never contacted her, she'd still have some life. A life without fear. She'd still be working at Silicon Prints, living in her apartment that she thought was safe. As long as she didn't talk to anyone, she was safe.

The second she was contacted by Dedsec was the second that life was gone. She avoided getting close to people for reasons like this. It hurt to lose loved ones enough to not want to love. Emma didn't know her Dedsec friends for long at all, but she felt like she fit in with them. It wasn't a desperate feeling. No, they genuinely made her feel like she was at home. Sitara was like an older sister, but she's always been. Marcus had such a way with making everyone feel comfortable and welcome together. Wrench always had something interesting to say with his rants. Watching Wrench and Marcus interact made her feel happy. They were best friends and she was happy to be in such a place of love. Josh was always so nice to her, even if he didn't say much. She thought he hated her, but he was just quiet. Ray, though…. Ray seemed like an enemy day 1. But every friend group has bickering friends, she thought.

Owen still won. Dedsec promised he wouldn't, but Emma knew it was impossible. It wasn't Dedsec's fault. It was hers, she thought. Hers for thinking that she'd ever have a normal life. For thinking she'd ever have a friend, let alone five.

Her life now was now sitting on her couch, in an apartment she was about to not be able to afford. That new temporary apartment wasn't hers, she was silly to assume that they'd let her stay after what Owen told Dedsec. She could maybe ask Silicon Prints for her job back, but that was dangerous. The only way to get a new job was to look at Craigslist ads again, looking for jobs paying under the table. She wiped away her tears from her already red, puffy eyes. She had been crying all night for the past couple nights. She couldn't even remember what day it was.

There was a knock on her door. She didn't move, hoping that noise would go away. The knock wouldn't end. She begrudgingly stood up and stumbled over to the door. She didn't even care that she was wearing a baggy sweater and sweatpants, with her hair tied together with a falling ponytail. She opened the door to see Jerod, an old employee from Silicon Prints. He was wearing a nice dark blue sweater and holding flowers.

"Emma, you're okay!" he said kindly with a smile.

Normally her state of dress currently would make her self conscious, but she didn't care how haggard she thought she looked, "Hey."

Jerrod looking nervous suddenly, "I was worried about you since what happened at work the other day, and you stopped showing up… Oh! And these are for you," He said handing her the flowers.

She reluctantly took them, "Oh... thanks. These are lovely," She said smelling them, "Is Chris mad?" she asked about her manager.

"A little bit, but I told him about how scared you looked when you left. He seemed worried. I think he'll understand if you talk to him," Jerod said.

Emma thought a bit at the possibility of keeping her job even after leaving so abruptly, _and_ having a no call no show yesterday. Did she want that job back? "Why didn't you call?"

"I tried, but your phone sounded like it was shut off," Jerod said.

Emma nodded, wishing Jerod would just leave. He was nice, she thought, but she wanted to be alone, "Alright, well I gotta go… uhh… feed my cat," Emma point back to insider her apartment.

"I thought you were allergic," Jerod said.

"Yeah… benadryl, you know," Emma said vaguely.

Jerod nodded, "Well, I'm glad you're safe. I was having some people over tonight if you wanted to stop by," he smiled.

She raised an eyebrow. Random party on a Wednesday. No, it couldn't have been Wednesday. Thursday? "Wait what day is it today?" She asked.

"Saturday?" He said.

"Three days," She said under her breath, finding it hard to believe. She put a hand to her head and looked back into her apartment. Was she really moping around for three days?

"You okay?" Jerod asked her.

"Yeah!" She answered quickly, "uh, I'm fine… but I don't think I can go to your party tonight, I'm sorry. Thanks for the invite," She said trying to dismiss Jerod.

"Well, if you can't make it later, did you want to go out and get coffee or something?" He asked.

Emma internally groaned. Jerod just wouldn't leave, "I look like a mess and it would take forever to get ready and -"

"Nah, you look beautiful as always," He smiled.

Emma felt like she should blush, but she was just annoyed. She looked down at the flowers, realizing he went through some effort. The party wasn't just a casual invite. He wanted her as a date. She sighed and looked up, "Give me 10 minutes?" She asked with a polite smile.

~~~ Four Barrel Coffee ~~~

Jerod talked. A lot. Emma barely got any words out. She either agreed or chuckled at what he said when she wasn't sipping at her coffee.

"I'm sorry, I'm talking a lot aren't I?" He asked.

"I don't mind," She smiled.

"Kind of like how it was at work, huh?" Jerod asked with a chuckle. Emma was quiet at work. She was always listening to music. They thought she was just shy, but no one realized it was because she didn't want to make friends.

"Why'd you want to go out now all of a sudden?" Emma asked.

Jerod shrugged and looked down at his phone for a second letting out a short chuckle, "You know, I've had a crush on you for a while. Just didn't realize how much I missed you until I stopped seeing you." Emma smiled not knowing what to say. "Do you, uh… want to do this again sometime?"

Emma didn't say anything for a bit. She looked into Jerod's eyes for a bit. She didn't like him the way he seemed to like her. She never even thought of him outside of work. Perhaps being friends with him was safe. It's not like he was part of Dedsec. Still, it was dangerous… She couldn't bare to lose anyone else in her life, even someone she didn't particularly care for, "I'm sorry, Jerod… You're really nice, but I don't think that'll be a good idea."

Jerod took the rejection with grace, "Already got someone special?" He asked.

Yeah. A stalker that continuously ruins her life. But Emma knew that's not what he meant. Wrench popped into her head but she quickly dismissed it, forcing her mind to quickly think back on all her Dedsec friends, "Something like that," She said.

Jerod smiled and nodded, "Well, he's a lucky guy."

Emma mentally scoffed and bit back a retort by drinking coffee. She looked over Jerod's shoulder to see a male wearing a shirt with a Dedsec logo on it. She froze but played it cool by locking eyes back on Jerod as he rambled on about whatever Emma wasn't paying attention to. That guy could just be a fan, she thought. Not all Dedsec followers are hackers. She looked down to the table noticing Jerod's phone faced down. It was closer to her than it was to him.

Perhaps it was paranoia, but she knew she had every right to feel it. Emma set her coffee mug down casually. But as quickly as she could she grabbed Jerod's phone and she looked at the screen, ignoring his words.

 _Resetting tracker status…. 89%_

He snatched it away, without much effort considering the shock of seeing what was on the screen loosened her hand muscles, "Haha looks like you accidentally grabbed my phone instead of yours."

Emma stared back at him, "What tracker?" She asked meekly.

Jerod shrugged, "Oh it's just a background I have -"

"I gotta go," Emma interrupted, standing up, and marching out of the coffee house. Jerod looked back at the man in the Dedsec shirt, who stood up, grabbed the phone from Jerod and walked out, following Emma.

~~~Meanwhile, across the street from Four Barrel Coffee~~~

Marcus sat in the driver's seat of a parked van, with Wrench sitting in the passenger seat, with his feet up on the dashboard.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate this plan?" Wrench asked.

"Only about 60 times, but you never explained why," Marcus responded with a deadpan expression.

"No reason," He answered, but his eyes were focusing on the back of a certain brunette.

"You're either going to have to tell me why, or I'm gonna lose my mind if you complain again," Marcus said.

Wrench sighed and leaned his head back on the rest, "It's just… you know, they're having coffee!"

Marcus was waiting for Wrench to continue. When he didn't, Marcus spoke, "And that's bad becauuuseee?"

"...Nevermind," Wrench muttered.

Marcus shook his head, looking back ahead of him to look inside the coffee house. Marcus smirked, "You're not… jealous, are you?"

"Jealous! Me? No way, man. Has nothing to do with that," Wrench quickly defended. Marcus continued to smirk and Wrench looked over at him slowly. They both made eye contact for a moment and Marcus' smirk grew wider, "Don't you fucking tell anyone!"

Marcus finally laughed, "Why you so weird about her, man? Just tell her how you feel. I don't know."

"Because we just met and we barely know anything about each other," Wrench sighed dreamily, heart icons appearing on his mask, "She's so smart and pretty. And she actually cares about what I have to say. And likes all this nerdy shit, and she's just so… ugh!…. Just so out of my league," Wrench said feeling defeated, heart icons disappearing.

"There's no such thing as a league. Besides, you're smart, too. And pretty… if that's what you want to hear," Marcus said awkwardly.

Wrench's mask displayed two solid lines of no emotion, "Marcus, you uh… trying to tell me something?"

"You want my help or not!?" Marcus laughed.

"Sorry sorry. I just don't think this is the right time, yeah? She's going through all this shit right now," Wrench muttered seriously.

Marcus nodded, "Maybe, maybe not. The whole thing with Ray probably didn't help your chances either."

Wrench tightened his fist, "I should have went after her, man."

"No, like Ray said… It sucks, but it's going to be better in the long run," Marcus said.

"I don't like…." Wrench began, struggling to find the words, "...using her as a pawn."

"She's not, she's working with us. She just doesn't know it yet," Marcus said.

"Isn't that kind of what a pawn is?" Wrench deadpanned.

"Okay, okay. I'm just trying to help. It'll be over before we know it. Then you two can live in your little fantasy land," Marcus said.

Wrench nodded, unwilling to completely accept it, but knew that it was a good strategy to keep her in the dark. He balled up his fist one more time, but relaxed, "Can you keep this between us? I'm just not ready to tell her, or anyone, while all this shit is happening," Wrench said.

"I got you," Marcus said and meant it. Last few times, he was just teasing his friend over an apparent crush. He didn't realized he actually _liked_ her. Marcus would let Wrench move on his own pace.

Before the conversation could continue, they saw Emma push the doors open and march down the sidewalk, seeing a member of Dedsec trying to casually walk behind her.

"Shit, this doesn't look good, the reset is only at 89%," Marcus said starting the van.

"Looks like Sam is trying to tail her," Wrench said.

"Yeah, he'll still be too far," Marcus said, "Where the fuck is Ray?"

"Doesn't matter, he can't do anything without a full reset," Wrench said. He looked back at the feed and saw it was going back up, since Sam was able to catch up and get right behind her, "Wait he got close enough."

With perfect timing, the number eventually jumped to 100%. Emma felt that someone was right behind her and she whipped around just as the Dedsec member passed her and continued walking straight. She watched as he walked away from her, tightening her grip on her purse strap. Maybe she was just being paranoid.

"100! He did it!" Marcus and Wrench fistbumped as the cheered, "Plus one for Sam!" Marcus drawled out.

~~~Emma's Apartment~~~

As Emma reached her door, she noticed a box in front of it. She unlocked her door as she looked the box over. There wasn't a return label on it. It just read: Emelia Myers. It wasn't delivered to her apartment, it was dropped off. It could have been from Owen. A threat perhaps. Her landlord maybe? Finally, she decided to open the box, to see a note and some clothes and a pair of shoes in it. She took a look at the note seeing Dedsec's one and only logo on it. She dropped the note back in the box as if it burned her. She stepped away from it, trying to ignore it. Hasn't Dedsec done enough, she thought. Maybe it was an apology. She scoffed. Writing a note is some way to apologize.

Then her mind went to Jerod. Did Dedsec pay him to take her out on a date to reset her tracker? Did they want to track her now? Maybe Owen manipulated them enough to turn on her. Her heart sank and the thought of her once friends becoming enemies. She knew that she should probably stop overreacting and just read the note, but she couldn't gather the courage to do so. It could be worse news than she imagined.

Emma turned her TV on, trying to pay attention to it, but only able to focus on the box in front of her. After an hour of her mental battle, she threw herself to the box and ripped the note open.

 _Do not make a sound. Owen has you bugged. He comes to you every few nights to replace a microphone on you. We don't know if your apartment is bugged, but it probably is._

 _Inside the box you'll find fresh clothes and shoes that you should wear. Please take a shower and feel for bumps in your skin where he could have placed a mic or another tracker. When you're showered and changed, meet me at Dolores Park._ _Do not_ _bring anything with you unless it's in this bag. We'll talk more later._

 _-DS_

Owen… He put a tracker in her… _that_ was creepy. But breaking into her apartment to place a microphone on her was something that she didn't even know how to comprehend. She was apprehensive about talking to Dedsec, Ray especially, but she knew she had to. She got in the shower and immediately started feeling every centimeter of her skin to make sure there weren't anymore implanted devices.

~~~Dolores Park~~~

Her new outfit consisted of a short dark gray hoodie, over a long striped shirt that went passed her hips. Her skinny jeans were similar to her old ones, and her shoes resembled Sitara's but in primarily black with some white. Yeah, she knew who picked her outfit for her. Her eyes scanned the park and saw Ray sitting on a bench. Emma rolled her eyes, not ready to converse with him.

She strolled up and plopped down on the bench, already expressing her attitude toward Ray. They both looked ahead as they chatted, "No mics," She said.

"You checked, _everywhere?"_ Ray asked.

Emma blushed, "Yup," She muttered quietly.

"I'm sorry I had to put you in that position the other night. It's the only way for Cyb...uh… _Owen_ to think he's still in control," Ray said.

"That's the thing… He's always in control. Even if it doesn't seem like he is," Emma said.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Ray said sarcastically

"Sorry… You just don't know him like I do. Even if you are the legendary Raymond… Whatever," Emma said.

"Right. If it makes you feel better, everybody gave me some major flack after yelling at you. Until I explained everything," He said.

Emma smiled, "A little bit."

Ray chuckled, "Wrench threatened me twice in my life already. The first time was when I wanted to make an EMP out of his robot. The second was when I yelled at you."

Emma turned her head to Ray quickly, before he scolded her to look back ahead, "Wrench, huh," Emma smiled, a small blush forming on her face, "Were you scared?" She asked with a joking tone.

Ray let out a loud singular laugh, "By him? I've been threatened by far worse than that punk. At least he tried." Emma smiled. "Ready to hear the plan?" Ray asked.

"There's a plan?" Emma asked.

"There's always a plan. Remember when Sitara scrambled your tracker?" Emma nodded, but Ray continued anyway without seeing the nod, "Well, we reset it. So currently it's transmitting to Owen accurately. Marcus and Wrench are already in the process of tracking where the information is going. It's not very likely that's where Owen is, but it's a start. After we triangulate the place, we're going to re-scramble it and try to remove it completely," Ray finished.

Emma stared wide eyed the whole explanation, "That definitely sounds like a plan. What should I do?" She asked.

"Waiting on the go ahead from the boys to re-scramble your tracker. Then just do as I say," Ray said.

Emma's heart suddenly sank. What if this is a plan for Owen, not Dedsec, "How can I trust that Owen didn't turn you all against me?" She asked.

"Guess you won't know until it's all done, right?" Ray said.

"You sound very confident, but that doesn't instill much confidence in me. You could be playing me a fool," Emma said.

"And get Wrench on my case a third time?" Ray chuckled, "No thanks."

"Maybe you _are_ scared of him," Emma joked.

Ray scoffed and checked his phone as it buzzed, "Speak of the devil. They're all done. Hold still," He said as searched through his phone to find the right app, "Aaaaand re-scrambled! Hopefully this doesn't affect your brain too much," Ray said.

"What?" Emma asked sharply.

Ray laughed, "Just pulling your chain, kiddo. When you stand up, go directly behind us. There's a cab with someone waiting for you. He'll recognize you. I'll meet up with you guys later," Ray explained.

"This doesn't sound sketchy at all, but what do I have to lose.. Thank you Ray, I'll see you later," Emma said standing up, not making any contact with Ray as she walked away. Ray still sat on the bench messing with his phone.

Emma continued walking toward the alley that she was instructed to. She passed on, getting to the next part of the street, seeing a man leaning against the cab, "Jodie!" He said, opening the cab door.

At first she thought he wasn't talking to her, but his eyes were glued to her. It was then, when she remembered Jodie Smith was her Blume alias She smiled and got in the cab, thanking him. Emma sat in silence the whole way to wherever he was taking her. Emma eyed the cab driver. He didn't look like a typical San Francisco cab driver. He had to be a part of Dedsec. She couldn't even trust cab drivers, what a world, she thought.

"Sitara told me to drop you off in front of CD Exchange," The cab driver said, probably noticing her staring.

So he knew Sitara, she thought, "I'm in your hands, I guess."

"I'm Keith. I'm not actually a cab driver. I'm trying to get into Dedsec for real," He said casually.

Emma nodded. Was he trying to impress her? The conversation died out as she stared out the window hoping she wasn't being led to her death.

~~~Unknown Location~~~

Marcus and Wrench sat outside the compound that the transmission results led to. Marcus was using his drone to navigate through the building, while Wrench was sitting off the end of the van with his laptop.

"Whatever he has on her, we're deleting," Wrench said.

"That might send a message to leave her alone. We're here for clues, remember that," Marcus said.

"The sooner I get to meet him, the sooner he-" Wrench started before Marcus interrupted him.

"Whoa I think I found something. This terminal… has a bunch of girls names. Emma's is one of them," Marcus said. He looked up at Wrench, "Research these names real quick. Samantha Chidori."

"Yeah, hold on," Wrench said typing away, "Uh… you sure that's her name? There's only one result in San Francisco and she's… deceased." Wrench said.

Marcus and Wrench kept eye contact, "Check this one. Kimberly Santiago," Marcus said.

"Aged 9, 28, or 41?" Wrench asked.

"Not sure. Does it matter?" Marcus asked.

Wrench shrugged, "A little bit. The 28 year old is also deceased…" He said.

"Is he just stalking women to murder them?" Marcus asked with a whisper, "Let's keep checking these names…"

~~~San Francisco streets~~~

The cab driver eventually stopped right in front of a used CD store, knocking Emma out of her daydreaming, "Thanks for the ride, uh… Keith," She said and got out. Was she waiting on Sitara? She was probably waiting on a murderer, she thought for a second.

"Boo!" Sitara jumped up behind Emma and she screamed.

"That's not fair!" Emma said and sighed, "I was thinking I was being led to a murderer or something."

"That's a logical thought process. Dedsec's on your side, hun," Sitara said starting to walk down an alley, which Emma followed her.

"I didn't know he was a Dedsec member," Emma said.

"Follower. I think you can assume whoever randomly helps us do _anything_ is a Dedsec member or follower," Sitara said.

"Is Jerod secretly a Dedsec follower?" Emma asked, eyes honed in on the back of Sitara's head.

Sitara slightly turned her head back to look at Emma but didn't slow her pace, "Clever girl. No, we just needed to find someone you knew and trusted. Poor kid was so scared."

"Yeah, so was I. Some warning would've been nice… but I understand. I think. Still mad," Emma said.

"You have every right to be. I'm sorry there isn't another way, but I think you'll forgive us after what I'm about to show you," Sitara said.

"We'll see… how did you guys even know about Owen and the mics?" Emma asked.

"Ray met up with one of his goons and he was talking to Owen through him. He was trying to trick Ray, but he saw right through the lies," Sitara explained.

Emma stopped following. When Sitara stopped hearing footsteps, she stopped and turned around to look at Emma, "It's what he wanted…"

"Come again?" Sitara asked.

"I'm not doubting Ray's intelligence, but… If Owen wanted to trick him, he would. There's no way he'd explain his master plan like a... James Bond villain!" Emma exclaimed.

"Just follow me," Sitara said.

"No… it's a trap, whatever it is," Emma said.

Sitara rolled her eyes and went up to grab Emma's wrist and started dragging her, "Maybe we'll run into a trap, but I promise you won't worry about it until later," Sitara said.

Emma tried to struggle without much success, "Sitara, I'm telling you, Owen is -"

"-Not our problem right now!" Sitara continued, opening a door, dragging Emma through it and down some stairs.

"He's always a problem, he's...?" Emma took her eyes off Sitara to take in the view in front of her. Her eyes widened as she saw an L shaped table with beakers and chemistry tools laid about, boxes and boxes of supplies lying around the table to set up however Emma pleased. She turned back to Sitara, who was grinning.

"Well?" She asked.

"Is this… for me?" Emma asked.

"Welcome to your secret base!" Ray's voice was heard, startling her.

Emma jumped her attention to her right to see Ray and Josh sitting on a futon watching her reaction, "My… secret base," She repeated to herself. Emma walked over to the table to touch it.

"We got whatever we could find as basic stuff. If you need pretty much anything, we can get it," Sitara said walking closer to her.

Emma put her hand to her face, covering it as she let tears from her eyes fall.

"Oh come on now, the last time we saw you, you were crying, you can't be doing it again!" Sitara said trying to cheer her up.

"No, no, no. They're happy tears, it doesn't count," Emma muttered through her hand and her tears. She wiped her tears, "I'm sorry… this is so amazing. I'm actually a chemist again!"

"You forgive us?" Ray asked.

"US? I was just mad at you," Emma began, "but all is forgiven. No wait! It's not!" Emma said, remembering what was being discussed with Sitara before, "Whatever Owen told you… He'd never talk about what his plans are. He was trying to throw you off."

"You weren't there, Emma," Ray said.

Her face got serious as she looked at Ray, "And you weren't dating him for years."

"Okay okay okay," Sitara interrupted, "We can worry about that later."

"Marcus and Wrench will be here soon. We'll know what they found at one of his bases," Josh said.

Emma stood in silence, staring at her new chemistry table. She was ecstatic and terrified at the same time, yet unsure which one overpowered the other. The door opened once again letting in Marcus and Wrench. Emma heard their chatter, but wasn't completely focused on their words.

"Emma?" Marcus' voice was heard.

Emma snapped her head up to look at him, "I'm sorry... " She said.

"It's okay. Uhhh, you might want to sit down," Marcus said leading her to the futon. Ray got up to make room for her. Marcus grabbed a stool from the chemistry table and sat in front of her, "We tracked where the transmission of your tracker leads to, and apparently that's also where the microphones led to…"

Emma nodded, "This isn't sounding good," Emma's eyes drifted off to Wrench, who stood with his arms crossed, not looking too happy.

"Marcus, what'd you find?" Sitara asked sounding scared as well.

"Emma isn't the only one he's stalking. We found things on at least 4 other girls… that are alive," Marcus said carefully looking through Emma's eyes if he should continue or not.

Emma didn't know how to process it, "How many?"

Marcus took a deep breath, "12 that are… deceased."

"How long?" She asked.

"Some are dated from 6 years ago," Marcus said carefully. He didn't want to say anything that she didn't want to hear, but he didn't want to lie to her.

"We started dating around… 3… 4 years ago," Emma said somberly, "Oh god," She said covering her mouth. She stood up and started pacing, as per usual. Josh started fidgeting but Sitara put a hand on his shoulder to try to help him gain his composure. Sitara knew that the priority right now was Emma.

"We're not leaving you alone. Whether it's one of us or a follower, we'll keep him away from you," Marcus said quickly, trying to make her feel better.

"No, no, no. I need to know why he hasn't tried to umm…." Emma couldn't finish her sentence. She touched her forehead with her hand, as she continued to pace.

Wrench put his hand on her arm to try to stabilize her and keep her from fainting, "That's dangerous, Em."

"I don't care. 12 people are dead because of him.. And me and 4 others are alive and I need to know why," She said looking in his mask. She really wished she could see his eyes right now.

"Then leave that to us, okay?" Wrench asked.

"Yeah, we have the means to get this job done. You need to stay safe," Marcus said.

"This isn't even anything new. He's a copycat. So he's not going to be hard to figure out, despite how smart he thinks he is," Ray explained.

"You don't know him," Emma said each word individually, glaring at Ray. She was tired of telling him that.

"And you do? Unless you've always known he was a serial killer?" Ray asked her.

"C'mon, man," Marcus tried saying.

Emma stared back at Ray, realizing he was right. The Owen she knew was the one he let her know. Her glare softened as she realized she was now dealing with a stranger, which may have been worse than a stalker that knew her. "I need to sit down," Emma said. Wrench put his hand on the small of her back and helped guide her to the futon, sitting next to her. "I feel so useless…"

"Uh, helloooo?" Sitara chimed in, "You forget where we are? We're in your lab! Make your ice darts or your fear gas or whatever you think will help us." Emma let out a chuckle.

"Emma, you're not going to like what I have to say most of the time," Ray began, "But you need to know that we're not your enemies. I'm not your enemy. I've dealt with pieces of shit like him before, and I'll do it again." Emma nodded at his explanation. She knew he was right, it was just hard to accept it sometimes.

"We'll track him down and we'll be face to face with him," Sitara said, "And he'll have nowhere to go and he'll see how it feels."

"But how many more people are going to die before we get to him?" Emma asked.

"We already have a head start. We can find clues about his whereabouts through the stuff we hacked," Marcus said. He stood up and pulled his laptop out.

"Wait, save that for hackerspace. Emma, you should come with us," Sitara offered.

"Wait, doesn't he know where the hackerspace is?" Emma asked, remembering he had a mic on her.

"There was audio recorded from there, but no location. Hackerspace is safe. As is this place. We can only find and access it in a similar way." Marcus explained.

Emma looked up at her chemistry table. She knew her life was in danger, but she smiled at the thought of finally being able to do something useful to help them. Maybe not tonight, or tomorrow, but eventually she will be the Lucious Fox of DedSec and provide them with anything they could possibly ask for.

~~~ Hackerspace ~~~

Emma was on the futon surrounded by pieces of paper that she tore from a notebook, with a laptop in front of her. Her hair was up, as she was going through papers, researching and creating formulas that she planned to try the next day.

Everyone else was sitting around the table, discussing their own findings.

"He may not even be in San Francisco," Marcus said.

"Could be why he has lackeys at his beck and call," Ray suggested.

"But everyone he killed lived in San Francisco," Josh said.

"Does time being in captive have any relevance?" Sitara asked.

While everyone was spitballing ideas and theories, Wrench was slouched back in his chair, staring straight ahead at Emma, on the futon. He couldn't help but think how cute he found her hair up and messy like that. For some reason, she looked even more attractive when she was in her element. He's never seen her so alive as he did when she was scribbling down formulas. He just wanted to go sit by her and hear her process, even if he didn't understand a word she was saying. Then he mentally slapped himself. He was gushing over her more and more every time he saw her. He was falling too fast for her.

"Wrench!" Ray said snapping his fingers in front of his face, "Less ogling, more effort trying to protect the thing you're ogling?" He suggested quietly.

Wrench scoffed, "I was just thinking," he said leaning back toward his keyboard. Ray was right though. He can think about her when he knows she's safe. Then maybe he could try asking her out - he banged his head on the table, causing everyone to stare. Why was he thinking about asking her out, he scolded himself.

"You alright there, buddy?" Marcus asked a little freaked out.

"Be right back!" Wrench shot up from table and headed for the stairs. Everyone else just looked at each other. He just wanted to get some fresh air but then he realized he couldn't trust his friends not to say anything incriminating about him with Emma in the room. When Wrench reached the stairs, he did a quick heel turn and went back to the table, "Nevermind, we're good."

"You're being weird," Josh said.

"Okay is this about me, or about her?" Wrench asked gesturing toward Emma, who is still too preoccupied with her own muttering about formulas to pay attention.

"You tell us," Sitara teased.

Wrench titled his head sideways as his mask displayed two horizontal lines "glaring" toward Sitara. Emma was heard groaning out of frustration as she stood up and stretched. She was muttering about formulas, no one was really sure.

"Now she's being weird," Josh said.

Emma turned, "I'm sorry. I just can't figure out something that I need without testing things… Anyone want to go to the lab with me?" She asked.

Wrench was about to volunteer until Sitara piped up, "No one's going anywhere right now, especially you."

Emma walked over and sat down on the same seat as Sitara, making her scoot over a bit to make room for her, "Sitaaaraaaa, but it's going to be all I can think about all night," She whined, resting her head on the table.

"Oh, I think someone here could help you think about something else," Sitara smirked, glancing over at Wrench. He ignored her and focused on typing something on the computer. He wasn't actually typing words, he just wanted to look busy.

"If it's not chemistry, it's not going to help," Emma muttered, face still on the table.

"Might still involve chemistry," Ray said quietly. Sitara chuckled.

"Oh really? What are you thinking then?" Emma asked innocently.

"Emma, don't trust anything these weirdos say," Wrench said.

"You're one to talk," Josh said.

"Aren't we all a little weird, anyway?" Emma asked.

"What can we do to help, hun?" Sitara asked genuinely, "Aside from going to the lab. That's not happening tonight."

Emma sighed and stood back up, "Nothing. Just going to try to come up with new ideas," She walked back over to the futon, sounding defeated.

Sitara went back to talking to Marcus. Without warning, Wrench stood up and walked over to the futon, standing next to it, "I'm no chemist, but may I offer you a distraction?" He asked.

Emma looked up and blew some hair out of her face, "Yeah, sure!" She said moving papers away from the spot next to her, so he has room to sit. "Sorry, it's a mess. I don't really have a filing system or anything…" she tried to joke.

"This is nothing. You should see my garage when I'm trying to build something," Wrench said sitting down next to her.

Emma chuckled, "Funny how similar two different things can be," She smiled looking at him.

"What are you working on, anyway?" Wrench asked.

"Just scribbling down ideas I've been having for years. But you said you could 3D print airsoft guns with a high pressure spring. So I was thinking of ways I could get different types of sensory gas grenades in the size of BB pellets," She quickly muttered.

"Have you done it before?" Wrench asked.

"In the form of a ghetto airsoft gun that shoots out darts, not pellets…" Emma said.

"Ahhh right your ice dart gun. When am I going to see that?" Wrench asked.

"If I don't get to go to my lab, you won't get to see it. But you'll see the 2.0 version with pellets. I'm trying to create something that can expand with oxygen so it creates more of a widespread impact," She explained, speaking almost too quickly.

"It's pretty cool that you know how to do all this," Wrench said, regretting saying it just as it came out. Was it demeaning? Was it too forward? He just thought it was cool, he didn't want to accidentally come on to her and make it weird.

Emma smiled clearly not reading into it as much as Wrench was, "Aw thanks, but what you do is a lot cooler," She said as a matter of factly, "Hey, um….I'm sorry for blowing you off the other night. I know you were just trying to help."

"Hey, don't be sorry," He said tapping the back of his hand to her leg for a second, "That was then. Everything's okay right now. Well, shit. Not at all actually, but we're all friends again now, right?" Wrench asked.

Emma nodded and leaned back into the couch, like Wrench was, "Heard you chewed out Ray, though."

Wrench felt nervous, "Hahaaa, who could have told you that?"

"Ray, actually," Emma said, "But thank you...for doing all that…It's really nice to have people that care."

He nodded, looking over at her, "You still want to finish Predator sometime?"

"Definitely! I was having a lot of fun watching it. Wouldn't want to keep it associated with something bad, you know?"

"Hey hey, guys!" Marcus called out. All eyes were on him, "I found something. I traced back where all the photos were uploaded to the server. Leads me to a hotel in Oakland…"

"Owen used to have an uncle that owned property in Oakland, but he passed away. Or at least that's what he said," Emma said.

"It's worth a shot at least," Marcus said. "But wait there's more! All of the deceased victims were ruled as suicides."

"You think he convinces people to suicide?" Sitara asked.

"With his manipulation game? I could see it," Ray said.

Emma stared ahead. She knew Owen on a personal level, at least she thought she did. She once did. Hearing Dedsec talk so casually about him being evil felt unreal. Her face scrunched up and she tried covering her face with her hand. Wrench noticed she went quiet so suddenly and turned to look at her. He turned back to his friends, "Hey, guys…" He said quietly, but they didn't hear him. Wrench resisted the urge to comfort her by putting an arm around her, but he wanted to do something. His hand reached out to lightly touch her knee, ready to move back if she wasn't comfortable with it. Much to his relief, she put her hand on his, holding it tightly. He turned his hand around so that they were holding hands, intertwining their fingers. Had it been a normal situation, he'd be gushing. Hell, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't excited about the hand holding, but he knew he was just comforting her and nothing more. Or at least he would convince himself. For his own sake.

"It's fine," She whispered as she rested her head on his shoulder, ignoring the studs that were attached to his vest.

"We can talk about something else," Wrench said to her quietly, as the others continued to talk about the possible location of Owen.

Emma idly grazed her fingers over Wrench's forearm. She was studying his tattoos. They were very scattered and independent from each other. She was curious if they even had a story or if they were just something he got because he was bored. He looked down at her hand gliding on his arm, trying not to develop goosebumps. He wondered what she was thinking. He assumed she was about to ask about all of his tattoos. He wondered if she had any, which she didn't, "Who can Predator lose to?" Emma asked out of nowhere.

Wrench smiled and was relieved she was talking to him, "Wolverine," He answered almost with disbelief, "He can beat most Predators, sadly. Batman fought the movie Predator once, and won. It was bullshit."

"That's why Batman is the best," Emma said.

"He's lucky he has such loyal, pandering, writers," Wrench said sarcastically, wanting to use more vulgar words, "Batman and Wolverine both."

"Loyal? Nah, everyone knows Batman is the correct winner," Emma said, "When you write your own Batman vs Predator comic, you can be wrong and have Batman lose," Emma said.

"If I wrote one, it'd be one giant page of Predator taking his head off," Wrench said.

Emma laughed, "A bit much, huh?"

"That's exactly what would happen! In a real fight." Wrench said.

"One day i'm going to know enough about the predators to be able to argue against that," Emma said.

"Impossible. When you know enough about the predators, you'll be on the path to enlightenment," Wrench said.

Emma lifted her head off of Wrench's shoulder and looked up at his mask. She really wondered what he was trying to hide. Wrench on the other hand, was relieved he had a mask to block what little distance was between their faces. He was nervous, but he'd be even more nervous without it. "We'll see. Thank you," She whispered as she let go of his hand and got off the futon. Wrench stayed seated for a moment longer.

"And then there's the warehouse! That has to be it!" Marcus said as Emma joined in on the conversation.

"What'd you find?" Emma asked.

"The warehouse where he made the girls kill themselves. We tracked it down," Marcus said.

Wrench finally stood up to join the conversation. He walked over to his counter, which was on the opposite side of the table as Emma, as leaned against it. He liked her being so close to him. But he was just comforting her, he kept having to tell himself not to get used to it. Emma kept glancing over at Wrench, who wasn't as talkative as usual. He was so nice, she thought. He comforted her when no one else really knew how, or tried really. It wasn't the first time he helped her either.

"Marcus, you want to check it out tomorrow with me?" Ray suggested, "I know that area." Marcus agreed.

"I'm going, too," Wrench said.

"It might not be that big of an operation. We're just scouting it," Ray said.

"Could use all the help you can get," Sitara said.

"Who's going to watch over Emma?" Marcus asked.

"I got some boys ready for some bodyguard duties," Sitara said.

"Can you do me a favor and not make it sound like I need babysitting?" Emma asked, cringing.

"Sorry, you're right," Marcus said.

"You met Sam already, but him and Vince will be around tomorrow to be your bodyguards. Not babysitters," Sitara said.

"I know Sam?" Emma asked.

"Coffee shop guy," Sitara said.

Emma held her arms out, "Oh yeah, nice to formally meet him after all that hacking and following he did. Was meaning to talk to you about that."

"We did what we had to do, but it worked, didn't it?" Sitara asked with a smile, trying to diffuse the situation.

Emma scrunched her eyes together, "I guuesssss," She drawled out, "Just… no more secrets please. Write a note if you have to, I don't know. I can act, whatever."

"Couldn't take the chance of anything being inauthentic," Ray explained.

Emma understood, but it never made it any easier. Plus she didn't want to keep arguing with Ray. She knew that she'd have to get used to Ray having the final say, "So can I get into my lab tomorrow then?"

"Sure can. You're gonna spend the night at my place, then tomorrow we'll get to your lab and set it up for real. Order anything you don't have, start your evil villain experiments, etcetera, etcetera," Sitara said. Emma nodded.

"So I guess we have our plan," Marcus said looking between Ray and Wrench.

"Getting closer to exposing that rat," Ray said sounding awfully excited. He's been familiar with Cyb0rg AKA Owen for far too long.

Sitara put her arm over Emma, "Well, us girls need to gossip and get our beauty sleep. I trust you boys can handle it from here?" Emma rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. Emma went to the futon to grab her notes, trying to keep them in what little order she had them in.

"Yeah you rest up and get your lab in order. We'll report to you tomorrow," Marcus said.

Sitara and Emma waved goodbye as they walked up the stairs, out of sight of the remaining boys. Wrench turned around and looked down at his counter, picking up a random circuit to have something to mess with.

"So we got the plan? Should we make any revisions?" Marcus asked.

"Couldn't hurt. I can draw out the layout to give you boys a better idea," Ray said.

"I can find the blueprint online," Josh said.

The whole time Wrench stood in silence, continuing to fiddle with random objects to appear busy, but his mind was going a mile a minute. He didn't want to admit it, but Emma being out of his sight made him nervous. Sitara didn't live far and they had other Dedsec members around to help, but he wouldn't feel comfortable until he saw her again. He wanted to bang his head against the wall though. Was he being possessive? No, he was worried, he thought. She was a friend of his, and he was worried. He'd be just as worried if Sitara or Marcus had a stalker like that. But he knew Sitara and Marcus could handle their own. It wasn't a secret that Emma didn't know how to defend herself. If she already had her airsoft gun projects, he'd feel better.

Wrench turned back and headed for the stairs, "I'm spent. I'll uh… see you guys tomorrow."

Marcus stood up, "Wrench..." He began. He was guessing it was about Emma.

Wrench knew exactly where the conversation would have went, "I'm fine," He said already walking the last few steps. Marcus sat back down and looked at Ray and Josh.

"What's his deal?" Ray asked.

Marcus promised he wouldn't tell anyone about Wrench's crush on Emma. He shrugged, "No idea."

Ray wasn't convinced, but he was a little angry that Wrench bailed without going through details together. He was fully expecting Wrench to ask questions when they could have been answered that night. They were all tired, but the work had to be put it. He rolled his eyes and dismissed it.

Walking home, Wrench realized how late it actually got. So much happened that day. All involving Emma. He wasn't sure how she could handle all the events from the day. It was some heavy stuff and he admired how well she seemed to handle it, at least on the outside. He wanted her to be able to confide in him. He thought back to her holding his hand, which she started. Sitting on the couch, talking about Predator and Batman… he wanted that. Everyday. With her. He also wanted to yell, frustrated with his feelings. Was she even interested in him? He wondered. She got real close to him only to be so normal when she let go of his hand. He suddenly felt angry, thinking about it. Maybe she was just a flirt. He shook his head. If she was a flirt, she would have done the same with Marcus, or the guy in the coffee shop. Maybe what he wanted could be a reality. His mind wouldn't stop going back and forth and all he wanted at the moment was for it to be 'tomorrow' already so they could be one step closer to getting rid of Owen forever.


	5. 5 - Dead Ends

Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait! The holidays were super busy for me, but I wrote a pretty long one to try to make up for it. It's kind of a filler because I wasn't ready for the plot to really continue yet, but I hope you enjoy the fluff 3 Next one WON'T take as long as this one did.

Merry belated Christmas for everyone that celebrates it! I hope a lot of people got Watch Dogs 2 for Christmas so they can love it (and Wrench) as much as us! Sorry if there's grammar mistakes. It's 6am. I'll be going over it again tomorrow, but I just wanted this out so I didn't have you guys waiting much longer :)

ALSO thank you SO much to everyone that favorited/reviewed so far! They really boost my motivation and I love hearing what you guys like about the story ^_^ Hope you enjoy this chapter!

-Blink

* * *

When Marcus, Wrench, and Ray entered a warehouse, they were not surprised to find absolutely nothing. There were desks around, but everything was covered with dust. It's clear that no one has been around in weeks. This was the fourth warehouse they were led to by Owen's pictures, and the fourth dead end.

"I don't get it," Marcus said, verbally expressing what everyone was thinking.

Ray seemed more agitated than usual. The constant dead ends were not helping. He really wanted to trust Emma, but there were so many red flags for him. He didn't think Owen was that good of a manipulator, for one. Ray was able to see right through his lies. Unless Emma was really that dense. She could be letting them hit these dead ends and they wouldn't even know it. Ray glanced over at Wrench whose arms were crossed. Wrench hasn't said a single word since they entered the warehouse, and very few words on the way.

"It's like they wanted us to come here… as a distraction," Marcus continued, "Fuck, why aren't we detectives?"

And that was another red flag for Ray. He had a feeling Emma knew about the warehouse. Everyone was just trusting her a little too easily. As if on queue, Wrench sighed and it sparked something in Ray, "I've had enough of your moping, boy," He muttered with annoyance, "Can you stop thinking about your little crush for one second and actually focus on something useful?"

Wrench's head immediately snapped from Ray to Marcus, "I didn't say anything," Marcus defended.

"He didn't have to say anything, it's fuckin' obvious. How SHE hasn't figured it out yet is beyond me," Ray said rolling his eyes. Maybe she really was that dense, he thought.

"Just drop it," Wrench threatened. He was annoyed he couldn't help Emma already. He didn't want to get into another argument with Ray regarding her loyalty to Dedsec.

"You're not going to be of any use here if your head is somewhere else. So let us do all the work, and you two can -" Ray started.

"I said drop it!" Wrench snapped.

"Let's just call Josh and see if he found anything, sound good?" Marcus asked, pulling out his phone.

"I have a better idea," Ray started, holding up a hand to stop Marcus, "Wrench and I will go check with Josh and Sitara. You go update Emma and see what's she's been up to," Ray told him.

Marcus' head was still focused on Ray, but his eyes darted over to Wrench, who wasn't even look at them, "Uhhh…. Sounds good, but maybe Wrench could go -"

Ray shut down Marcus' attempt to help Wrench, "You actually expect him to relay proper information and not just flirt with her?" He asked in a hushed tone.

"I can hear you," Wrench glared.

Ray turned to Wrench, "Oh noowww you can hear me."

Wrench flipped him off and just walked out, planning to meet up with Ray at the hackerspace. He didn't want to be in the same car as Ray the entire ride there.

~~~Emma's lab~~~

Emma's back was turned to the door as Marcus walked in. Her arms were crossed, not hearing Marcus walk in as she was staring hard at the table of notes and supplies strewn about, almost looking like she was trying to make something move with her mind, "Hey Emma," He said casually.

She still jumped and turned around, her back hitting the table. When she noticed it was Marcus, she relaxed, "Oh god… Sorry, I was a little too focused on all this," She said gesturing toward the table.

Marcus chuckled, "I didn't mean to scare you. Where's Sam?" He asked. Sam was supposed to be her bodyguard.

"He's in the bathroom," Emma smiled, "Thanks, by the way! We talked over everything that happened the other day. We get along pretty well."

Marcus nodded slowly, carefully thinking over what to say next, "Oh, gooood. How well?" He asked, cringing immediately after for a second. Perhaps not how he should have asked.

Emma shrugged, "We have a lot in common. He studied chemistry as a minor in college, so he kinda knows what I'm doing."

Marcus thought this was bad. Wrench hasn't been around in days to try to avoid his feelings. He hasn't said that, but Marcus knew. But he was worried it's backfiring now that Emma seems to have a new friend to bond with, "Well, that's great!" He said, trying to act casual, "What have you guys been working on?"

"So fear gas can't really be a thing, but hallucination gas can be! Developing that right now," Emma said keeping it simple, but beaming on the inside.

"Oh nice! Does it work yet?" Marcus asked.

"Not really… It's invisible and odorless, but at the sacrifice of potency. Trying to balance that. Right now it just causes mild hallucinations for about 10 minutes," Emma said.

Marcus was taken aback, "That's awesome!"

Emma smiled, "Yeah, it kinda is, isn't it?"

Marcus chuckled, "Well, when you're done, you have to promise me we'll test it together first."

Emma nodded, "You got it! What have you guys been up to?"

"Just running into more and more dead ends. There's so many clues, but i'm sure eventually even Owen will run out of dead ends to send us to," Marcus explained.

"What type of places have you ruled out?" Emma asked.

"There's been about 4 different warehouses, all empty. We went to the middle of those warehouses, led to a dentist office," Marcus scoffed.

"His mother was a dentist!" Emma spit out, stopping what she was doing.

"Was?" Marcus asked.

"She passed away..." Emma said before realizing a trend that Marcus picked up on too.

"Just like his uncle…." He continued for her. Marcus cheered silently, "We'll go check it out again, Emma you're a genius! A lead! Ray and Wrench will love this," Marcus was about to head out.

She smiled, "Glad I could help!" Before Marcus could turn around Emma spoke up again, "Hey uh… how… is Wrench?" She asked. Marcus turned to look back at her, making her feeling self conscious about her question, "He just hasn't been by in a few days, and I'm not sure if I did or said something to make him avoid me."

Marcus wished he could just make it easier on Wrench, especially if Emma was developing an attachment to Sam, but he made a promise not to say anything, "He's just been working on his own thing in between this Owen hunt… I'll tell him to stop by!"

Emma shook her head, "No, don't make him. As long as he's not angry with me."

"Of course not! I think he's just worried about bugging you is all," Marcus said trying to come up with something to say. He also wanted to find out her feelings.

"But I've seen everyone else. Even Josh and Ray. He has to know that," Emma said.

Marcus shrugged, "I'll let him know the coast is clear. I'm sure he'd love to see you."

Emma smiled, "Well, good."

~~~Hackerspace~~~

Wrench and Josh were sitting in front of a computer when Marcus was stomping down the stairs, "Wrench, go talk to Emma. Now."

"What? Is she okay?" Wrench asked concerned, standing up from his seat.

"She's fine, just…" He glanced down at Josh real quick before pulling Wrench aside, speaking in a hushed tone, "She's getting along pretty well with Sam. I think avoiding her is back firing," Marcus said, "But the good news is she asked about you!"

"With Sam? Why…. Wait, she asked about me?" Wrench asked with heart icons in his mask.

Marcus pushed his arm slightly, "Snap out of it man! She thinks you're avoiding her 'cause you're mad at her."

"What'd you tell her?" Wrench asked.

"That you're not mad at her, and you've been busy," Marcus said trying to remember what he said in a panic before he stopped himself, "Aw, who cares, just go, man! And don't tell her I told you to go."

"Right, thanks Marcus," Wrench said tapping him on the arm, walking out of the hackerspace.

"You know it's not a secret that he likes her," Josh said.

"That obvious?" Marcus laughed.

Josh nodded, "Sitara and Ray pretend not to know so they can mess with him more," He let out a quick chuckle. Wrench used to pick on Josh so much because he was gullible. Finally he got to see Wrench be the butt end of a joke.

"Well, I promised I wouldn't say anything, so my lips are sealed," Marcus said sitting down next to Josh, in Wrench's old spot.

"You're a good friend," Josh said.

Ray walked down the stairs, walking up behind Marcus and Josh, "What the hell is Wrench in a hurry for? He ran right passed me. Didn't even say anything," Ray said.

"He forgot to do something," Josh answered for Marcus, keeping both his and Wrench's 'secret'. Marcus looked over and smiled knowingly.

Changing the subject, Marcus turned to Ray, "We got a new clue," he said, reiterating what Emma told him.

~~~Emma's Lab~~~

Wrench opened the door to hear giggling coming from inside. He saw Emma trying to aim a gun at the wall, with Sam standing a little too close to her, helping her stabilize it. Wrench wasn't sure how to handle what he saw in front of him. Should he make himself known or walk out? Whatever his decision was, he'd have to make it fast. Before he could even do that, Emma turned around to grab something from her table, noticing Wrench.

"Wrench!" She said happily. Wrench displayed a smile on his mask, relieved she didn't sound annoyed. It was also the first time he recalled her saying his name. He wanted to savor the moment and float, but she continued to speak, "I'm so happy to see you! Come in, I have something to show you," Emma demanded, setting down the gun she was previously holding, and went to grab something else.

Sam looked a little annoyed that he wasn't getting the attention anymore and Wrench felt his ego skyrocket, even though he tried not to show it. He secured the door behind him and walked closer to where everyone else was, "What's up?" He asked casually.

"I haven't had too much time to finalize it, but I wanted to show you the proto-type of…" She began and lifted up an airsoft gun, "My new freeze gun!"

"Already?" He asked surprised.

"I don't waste time. You'd know if you came to visit me sooner," Emma said.

"Oh, yeah… Sorry, Em, just been kinda -" Wrench began, but she interrupted him.

"Don't be sorry! You're here now," She smiled and walked up right next to him, making him want to step back a bit out of nerves. But he liked her being so close. He didn't even remember Sam was in the room until he spoke.

"You're gonna love this," Sam said.

"So you remember how I said i wanted to make them pellet sized?" Emma asked. Wrench nodded, "Well the impact sucks," She demonstrated by grabbing a test freeze gun off the table and quickly shot the dummy target on the other side of the lab, with incredible accuracy. The ice pellet smashed into smaller ice particles that stuck to the target. Wrench stared at the dummy, impressed with her aim, but didn't have enough time to appreciate it when she started talking again, "So that's ruled out. BUT with longer dart shaped ammunition..." She set the gun down, and held up her new proto-type, aiming at the target again. She pulled the trigger, and it missed the head of the dummy, hitting it's torso. The ice dart shattered into a wide blast, leaving the dummy's torso completely covered in ice, as well as some of the ground beneath it. Wrench's mask displayed exclamation points, while Emma frowned looking at the gun, "The aiming sucks… I have to fix the tension."

Wrench put his hand on her arm, "Em, that's amazing!" He said.

Emma smiled, slightly blushing, "You think so?"

"That's even better than I imagined," Wrench said.

"It's not that crazy. Basically mini dry ice bombs. The impact is what sets it off," Emma explained.

"Oh, quit your modesty. It's amazing! Can I give it a shot?" Wrench asked.

Emma handed him the gun, "Okay, but don't judge the tension… I really have to fix that," Emma said.

Wrench grabbed the gun and thought for a second to aim it at Sam, who had his arms crossed, not looking very impressed at Emma's work. Wrench instead aimed slightly above the dummy. He pulled the trigger, hitting the dummy in the face, turning almost the whole head into ice. He cheered and looked back at Emma, "This is so awesome!"

Sam rolled his eyes. He's already seen the work in action, although he was slightly jealous Emma wouldn't let him try it before Wrench could.

Emma covered her face with her hands, hiding how wide her smile was. Wrench was the first person to show such appreciation for her work, "It's only a prototype, though! I still need to fix the tension and a way to keep the darts more secure. Right now, any movement can cause the darts to blow up on their own," She said.

Wrench immediately put the gun back on the table and backed away, "Yeah, might be a good idea."

Emma laughed, "They won't hurt you if it's in the barrel. It's just a waste of precious darts."

Sam cleared his throat, unhappy with all the attention Wrench was getting. Her attitude changed drastically when he first walked in. Wrench and Emma looked over to him, "That's not all we worked on," He said. Wrench wanted to yell at him for interrupting his and Emma's hype.

Emma put her hands on her hips, " WE? You may have helped with the hallucinogens, but this freeze gun was all me," She smirked.

"Hallucinogens?" Wrench asked.

"Still not ready to show yet!" She argued.

"Aw, come on, you showed me the prototype of that, but not your hallucinogens?" Wrench asked, pointing at the freeze gun.

Emma shrugged, "Well, I made that to show you," she said and turned back to put the gun somewhere safe.

Wrench crossed his arms and leaned his weight on one leg, "Aww, just for me?" He asked whimsically.

Emma laughed, "Don't patronize me. Plus I promised Marcus that I'd show him the hallucinogens first."

Wrench stood silently. Of course he wasn't special. Emma showed him her freeze gun prototype first, but she was also going to show Marcus a project first, too. The difference was that she wanted to show the prototype to Wrench first. She only promised Marcus to show him something else first. But he didn't think of it that way.

"After me, of course," Sam bragged, "Cause you know, I'm helping work on them."

Wrench deadpanned over at Sam, "Yeah I got that." He said.

"I'm really glad Sitara sent Sam to help out. He studied chemistry in college so he's kind of a great partner," She said smiling.

"I had no idea those classes would pay off," Sam said, feeling too proud of himself. Wrench was glad no one could see him roll his eyes. Wrench knew Sam was a terrible hacker and engineer, but he hated that he was better than him at the one thing that mattered most to Emma: chemistry. He wasn't about to call him out on it, though.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're a ton of help, Sam," Wrench said not sounding very sincere.

Emma had a master's degree by the time she was 22 years old. Of course Sam wasn't going to be of any help. She just enjoyed being able to talk about chemistry with someone who at least understood the basics, "Hey, he is!" She lied.

Sam grinned at Wrench, not even trying to hide his confidence. Wrench rolled his eyes behind his mask, "Handing her beakers definitely sounds like some college level work."

"Wrench!" Emma quietly spit out.

"At least I know what to give her what she wants," Sam said with a low voice, still grinning.

"Sam!" Emma scolded louder, with a blush on her face. She didn't like the way that sounded, even if it wasn't his intention. She suddenly wasn't comfortable around Sam.

Wrench just looked over at Emma, noticing her blush. He didn't like what Sam suggested, and seeing Emma blush only made the suggestion seem worse. He pushed away any thoughts that he could have began to have.

Emma's phone started to buzz, showing Sitara's picture, "I'm going to take this, can you two just sit in awkward silence for a minute?" She asked and stepped off to another room.

Wrench would have happily obliged. He even thought about leaving altogether, before Sam had different intentions, "You may as well leave, pal. I got this from here."

"Got what?" Wrench asked, not really caring anyway.

"I think you can figure it out," Sam said.

Wrench crossed his arms and leaned back, "Let's just pretend I can't." He really didn't want to hear that there was something going on between Emma and Sam, but for some reason he wanted to know.

Sam chuckled, "You missed your chance, bud. She was pretty upset that you didn't come visit her for three days, but I was here for her."

Wrench tried not to show how he was feeling. Sam could have been lying, but the thought of her being upset at something he did or didn't do made him feel ill, "Still have no idea what you're talking about," Wrench said trying to play it cool.

Sam shrugged, "Just making it easier for me, man."

"What exactly am I making easier for you?" Wrench couldn't help but ask, feeling more and more annoyed, but didn't want to give the satisfaction of letting Sam see it.

Sam became more relaxed, not trying to intimidate Wrench anymore, "Aw, c'mon, dude. You're a guy. You understand."

"Yeah, yeah, I understand, but just because she's not into me means she'll automatically fall for you?" Wrench asked.

"Better odds without competition," Sam said.

"You calling me competition?" Wrench was either amused or flattered, he couldn't really tell.

Sam looked Wrench up and down, which only made Wrench uncomfortable. Sam scrunched up his face, "Eh."

"Is it the mask?" Wrench asked in a slightly hushed voice. Wrench wasn't offended. He thought he should have been, but Sam's desperate attempt to intimidate him amused him far too much.

A short "Ha," was all Sam said, "Glad we have an understanding, pal!" Sam said hitting Wrench's arm.

Wrench still wasn't sure what Sam was going on about, but thankfully Emma came back just in time, however she looked upset which immediately had Wrench worried, "You okay?" He asked finally uncrossing his arms.

"Emma! While you were gone, Wrench was telling me some crazy things!" Sam said speaking overly dramatic.

Wrench looked at Sam, not able to believe that he was so insensitive to how upset she was looking, "Now's not the time, man. Look at her," He said quietly so that hopefully only Sam could hear, but Emma definitely heard it. She wanted to smile at his courteousness but was wondering what Sam was talking about.

"Yeah, I know, but she should definitely know that you have a picture of her in your garage," Sam said pretending to speak in a hushed tone.

Emma's eyes slightly widened and blushed a little. "No I don't, and how they fuck would you even know if I did?" Wrench asked with angry eyes displayed on his mask. He would never have let Sam in his garage. Only Sitara, Marcus, Josh, and Ray have been in there recently.

"The Dedsec watercooler. Emma, you should be safe. He just does that with every girl he stalks. Right?" Sam asked.

"Stalk? Are you fu-" Wrench began.

"Well, you did it with that one waitress you were obsessed with. What was her name?" Sam asked looking up trying to remember her name. Wrench was taken aback by how he knew about her, but decided it was worth hearing more, "Whatever. I heard you two were doing really well for a bit. You actually tricked her into starting a relationship, right? Then what happened?" Sam asked, "She see your face or something?"

"Okay you need to fucking lay off!" Wrench threatened walking right up to Sam.

Sam put his hands up, defending himself from Wrench, "Just telling her the truth!"

"Sam, can you leave?" Emma asked interrupting them.

"What?" Sam was taken aback.

"I need you to leave," She re-worded.

"Emma, sweetheart, what's wrong?" Sam asked

"Sweetheart?" Emma muttered to herself.

"If Wrench is making you uncomfortable, then he should leave," Sam said.

"I need to see Sitara," Emma said confidently and turned to Wrench, "Take me there?"

"I can take you wherever you need to go, I don't trust him with you," Sam said, saying the second part quietly, trying to put an arm around her.

"Noooo," She drawled out while pushing Sam's arm away from her, "Only Wrench knows where it is, and I trust Wrench."

Sam looked at Wrench who just stood there casually, "Ya hear that, Sam?" He wanted to laugh while Sam was glaring.

Emma cocked an eyebrow, looking between the two, "Did I miss something?"

"Yeah, Wrench seemed awfully possessive of you, said he didn't like you working with me," Sam said in a hushed tone, "Like I said… staalkkerrr," Sam finished with a sing song voice.

"What was that?" Wrench asked, not hearing what he said, but knew it couldn't have been good.

Emma backed away from Sam to see Wrench better, "Possessive?" Emma asked. She had Owen flashbacks. Owen not letting her have friends or do anything without him knowing. Of course, she didn't realize it was possessive at the time. Emma blamed his manipulative behavior on it.

"Yeah, Wrench, tell her," Sam said.

"Tell. Her. _What?_ " Wrench asked enunciating each word.

"What you said. It's only becoming more obvious if you're denying it," Sam said.

Wrench let his arms and head drop for a moment before looking up, "I know what you're trying to do, man, and all it's actually doing is making me want to do this," Wrench said bringing two fingers to his temple, simulating a gun.

"Maybe that's exactly what I'm trying to do," Sam smirked.

"Okay everybody shut up!" Emma said with a raised voice. She turned to Sam, "Sam. Leave."

"Even after he-" Sam began, trying to grab her hand.

Emma pulled away before he could grasp her hand, "I don't care about anything other than seeing Sitara right now," She grabbed his backpack and handed it to him with force, "Please."

He had no choice but to grab his backpack. Emma walked away from him and crossed her arms, her back facing Sam. "Alright, Emma… If you need anything, please call me?" Sam asked.

Emma nodded but Wrench spoke up, "If she needs anything, she'll be with me," He said. Emma glared at him, but he didn't notice.

"See you tomorrow, Emma," Sam smiled and walked away through the door. As soon as his back was turned, his face scrunched into an angry frown.

Wrench sighed, "Finally, he's gone," He said to himself and turned to Emma, "Listen, I don't know what the fuck that was all about," He said but she was glaring at him. He displayed two question marks on his mask, without saying anything else.

"What was that?" She asked.

"He's weird, right?" Wrench asked, arms out to his sides.

"No, not him. You. He was just being nice and you were instigating him…" She trailed off.

Nice? Wrench thought, "Is that what was happening?" He asked sarcastically, "Because he wasn't making any sense to me! He wants to make me look bad so he could try to impress you," Wrench said and Emma started packing her belongings in her backpack.

"Please," She said insincerely.

"Emma, seriously!" Wrench pressed on, "You have no idea the shit he was saying while you were away," He wanted to go into further detail, but wasn't sure if what he said would piss her off or stress her out even more. He didn't know what Sitara said to her, "I just really don't know if you should be around him so much."

"Are you serious?" Emma asked, disbelieving what she was hearing. Maybe he was being possessive and that scared her. She wanted to trust Wrench.

Wrench shook his head, "No wait, that came out wrong," Wrench said struggling with what to say next, "Fuck, he's good," He realized Sam got what he wanted; Emma to argue with Wrench, "He's manipulating you."

"Manipulating me," Emma deadpanned crossing her arms.

"He is! He's the one obsessed with you! I think. I don't really know his deal," Wrench said desperately trying to get her to understand.

"He's been nothing but nice to me, and I never felt uncomfortable around him until you came around," Emma said.

"He's pretending!" Wrench said.

Emma held up a hand, "Don't talk to me right now. Just… take me to Sitara, please." Emma said dismissing him out of anger, and instantly regretted it. However she didn't take it back or apologized for what she said. Her conversation with Sitara really irritated her, but Sam's 'possessive' comment regarding Wrench set her off the edge.

Wrench nodded, "Whenever you're ready…" Was all he said and leaned against a wall by the door for her to finish closing down her lab. He didn't question why she wanted to go to Sitara, but he thought asking her anything would be a bad idea.

Emma zipped up her bag, and headed out toward the door, not looking at Wrench at all. He pushed himself off the wall to follow her, securing the door behind him with his phone.

~~~~~~Outside Emma's Lab, a few minutes later~~~

Sam sat outside and across the street near a bus stop. He was staring at the entrance to Emma's lab just waiting for Emma and Wrench to walk out. Sam lit up a cigarette, thinking about how he thought Emma liked him. Maybe she was just a flirt. She seemed overly friendly with Wrench, he thought. He didn't know what she could see in a guy like Wrench. He grimaced. Definitely just a flirt.

Finally, Emma and Wrench walked out from the door and started walking along the street. Sam didn't know where or what the Hackerspace was. He assumed they were just going to a public place or someone's house. He hoped at least. His mind began to wander about what they would be up to when they were alone. Suddenly, his interest in Emma tanked. Sure, she was pretty and smart, but the recent display showed that she was not someone he could continue toward the hope of a relationship. Sam shook his head, taking another drag of his cigarette, still staring them walk down the street.

"Love triangle?" A voice asked.

Sam turned to see a young male in a blue button up waiting by the bus stop, "Is that any of your business?" Sam asked casually, but with a hint of annoyance.

The stranger chuckled, "It is when I'm paying you," He said.

"Yeah, to relay info on her projects. Not talk about my personal life," Sam said.

"Word of advice: Keep your personal life out of your professional life," The stranger said, "If you can't handle this, I'll just find someone else."

"Relax, I'm your best bet at this," Sam rolled his eyes, "I have it under control." The bus began to pull up.

"You're expendable to Cyb0rg," The stranger said.

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that," Sam said, putting out the cigarette, and stepping up waiting by the curb.

"If you have feelings for her, you're not right for the part. Everyone's supposed to love her and be crushed later," The stranger said, raising his volume to compensate for the bus's noise.

"I"m just having fun," Sam shrugged and walked into the bus. The stranger stared ahead as the bus drove off, keeping a close eye on Wrench and Emma until they were out of sight.

Wrench was a good 6 feet behind Emma, following her. He knew she didn't know where Hackerspace was exactly. She had an idea - a vague direction - but she'd never be able to hone in on it when they got closer. He was afraid to talk to her at all, let alone say something that she'd actually want to hear. That's why he let her wander forward for as long as he did. He was scared, but he didn't want to admit it. He was hoping that she would have cooled down after the few minutes they were outside for. "You asked me not to say anything, but do you even know where you're going?" Wrench finally asked.

Emma stopped and glared back at Wrench, who stopped with her, "Am I going the wrong way?" She asked.

Nope. She hasn't cooled down, he thought, "Not yet, but once we get closer, I…" He didn't know what to say to not offend her.

Emma sighed, "Just lead the way, please," She said annoyed, just wanting to end the conversation and get to Sitara.

"Fine, just please try not to stare at my ass, yeah?" Wrench requested, walking passed her.

"What ass?" Emma spit out without skipping a beat, starting her own pace to follow him.

Wrench casually turned toward her, keeping his pace toward the direction they were going to, "So you _have_ been looking," Wrench said causing Emma to blush. He turned back ahead with smile emotes displaying on his mask, knowing he won.

Emma wanted to smile. Time and time again, Wrench proved to be the only one to make her feel better no matter what. But she wasn't ready to admit it. She still wanted to be mad. She deserved to be. Not at Wrench, but her situation. Sitara, especially. The fact that Wrench was still willing to help her when she knew she was being a bitch eventually made her smile. But she quickly frowned remembering what Sam said. Was Sam trying to manipulate her feelings towards Wrench? She wondered. She also thought back to what he said about a waitress. She didn't know what to believe, but she knew that her priority should just be talking to Sitara.

~~~Hackerspace~~~

Emma pushed Wrench out of the way as she ran down the stairs to see Sitara, Josh, Marcus, and Ray standing around, talking.

"Emma, what did I tell you?" Sitara asked and looked at Wrench, "Why did you bring her here?" She asked.

Wrench shrugged, "I didn't kn-"

"I made him," Emma said quickly.

"Well, you're still not going with us," Sitara assured.

"Sitara, this isn't fair. Things could have been done way faster if I was just there, or at least in constant contact," Emma argued.

"She's right, you know," Marcus said.

"No!" Sitara said.

"Can you stop making decisions for me?" Emma asked, raising her voice.

"If you sat down to realize the danger of you being out like that, maybe I wouldn't have to," Sitara said trying to remain calm.

"If YOU realize how useful I can be, then maybe this would have already been solved," Emma said, giving up on staying calm.

"You have your use. Help us with weapons and resources. Isn't that the whole point of you being here?" Ray asked.

"You're in this mess because we asked you to be an ally," Sitara began.

"Yet you're not letting me be an ally," Emma interrupted.

"Emma," Ray began.

"I'm not going to like what you have to say, so don't even bother," Emma interrupted again, not looking at Ray when speaking.

Ray looked over at Wrench, who hasn't said a word since they walked in. Wrench locked eyes with Ray and just shrugged. Ray nudged his head over toward Emma, signaling that he wanted Wrench to do something about her, but Wrench knew she was already slightly irritated with him, even if it wasn't his fault, and whatever he'd say would just make it worse. Wrench didn't know much about women, but he figured it was common sense not to piss off an already upset one.

"Wrench load up the van, we're going," Sitara said, "Marcus, got everything?"

Marcus nodded, "Yeah, but maybe we should-" He started to speak but Sitara glared at him, shutting him up, "...yup, got everything. Let's go," He said as Marcus and Sitara headed upstairs.

"Great, let's go," Emma said walking with them, passing by Wrench, but he lightly grabbed her arm to try to stop her. She quickly pulled her arm back, "You don't make decisions for me either," She said and continued walking.

Wrench sighed and Ray would have laughed if he weren't so irritated, "Strike out earlier?" He asked.

Wrench groaned for a second before speaking, " _Sam_ put it in her head that I'm a stalker or something so she hates my guts right now," He said hardly believing what he was saying.

Ray was able to let out a chuckle, "And you're okay with this?"

Wrench outstretched his arms slightly, "You serious? Why would I be? But anything I say, she gets even more mad and... ah, fuck it," He said.

"She seems stressed," Josh said. He still hasn't gone upstairs yet.

"No, shit," Wrench said.

"I mean that we've never seen her like this. This isn't her. She just needs time to calm down," Josh said.

Wrench and Ray knew this of course, but they looked at each other, surprised that Josh said it so eloquently, "When did you become such a lady expert?" Ray asked.

"I'm not. I just pay attention," Josh said.

"Yup. Lady expert," Ray said and turned to Wrench, "Better watch out he doesn't sweep Emma off her feet before you."

~~~Outside, near the van~~~

Sitara got in the van, Marcus sitting in the driver seat, "What do we do?" He asked.

"Do we need to talk through our game plan again?" Sitara asked with a smirk.

"Not that. Emma," Marcus said, causing Sitara to sigh, "Look, I know it's dangerous, but she has a point about speeding up the process," Marcus said but Sitara wasn't listening, "She's an ally, yeah, but with Owen still in the picture, for us _and_ for her, it's going to be impossible for her to use her full potential. Ya know?"

Sitara sat in silence for a minute, until she saw Emma walking up to the van in her rear view mirror, "Well you're in luck, because no matter what I say, she's still going to force her way in this van."

Emma opened the back and stepped in, sitting along the side, "So what's the plan?" She asked.

Sitara turned around to look at Emma, "Well, the _new_ plan is that you're staying in this van the entire time. Got it?"

"But what if I-" Emma began.

"You're pushing it," Marcus said in a sing-song voice.

Emma crossed her arms and leaned back against the side of the van, waiting for them to take off. Wrench hopped in the van and shut the doors behind him. Emma looked outside the van windows, feeling uncomfortable. She hoped that Josh or Ray would also join them so she wasn't alone in the back with just Wrench, but no such luck. Josh and Ray were to stay at the Hackerspace in case files they'd find needed extra hacking or analyzing.

After about 20 minutes of mostly just Marcus, Sitara, and Wrench bullshitting, they reached their destination. They parked in an alley near a building their new coordinates led to.

"Recognize anything?" Sitara asked, it being the first thing she said to Emma the entire way there.

"Not.. really," Emma said. She thought it looked familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was.

Marcus got out of the driver seat and hopped over to the bed of the truck opening the doors. He sat on the edge, and brought out the quadcopter, directing it around the building in question. Sitara also moved over to the bed of the truck as well, sitting next to Emma while unfolding her laptop, bringing up the feed from the quadcopter "Better to have 2 screens," She said.

Marcus was able to see a panel on top of building that he could use to hack and unlock the doors, "Gotta get up there. Ready?" He asked Wrench.

"You know it," He said grabbing his stun shotgun and jumped off the bed of the van, slinging it over his shoulder. Before they could even take a step forward, they heard glass breaking. They looked up to see a brick flying from the second story window, landed on the ground next to them.

"Bring the quadcopter out again?" Marcus asked nervous. Wrench instead aimed his stun shotgun up into the broken window, but before he could fire, Marcus stopped him, "Wait-wait-wait," He said quickly, "Hold up on that."

"We _have_ been holding up. There's someone in there, Marcus. Now's our chance," Wrench said.

Marcus pulled out the quadcopter and sat down with his laptop in his lap. He tossed it up aiming it into the freshly broken window, "We still need to be careful, man. You trying to get yourself killed?"

"I've done worse," Wrench shrugged.

Marcus was surveying the room with the quadcopter, seeing only an empty office floor. Not even trash was around. However, he noticed table and chair scuffs in the carpet, signaling that the space was occupied at one point.

"More empty warehouse looking rooms," Sitara muttered quietly, with a curious expression.

"This is what you've been seeing?" Emma asked.

"This is now the 5th dead end. I don't get it. The data Owen receives goes to these locations, and they always end up empty," Sitara said.

"Maybe they move around after each transfer?" Emma threw out an idea.

Marcus thought that made sense considering the scuffs he's noticed. Before anyone could say anything else, Marcus started losing control of the quadcopter making it go sideways.

"Marcus, steady!" Sitara called over.

"I'm trying!" Marcus said fumbling with his laptop, "Shit, guys, I think someone's hacking in!"

Sitara and Emma stared intently at their laptop, still displaying the quadcopter feed. Wrench stood behind Marcus, moving his sight between the broken window above them and the laptop in Marcus's lap. The view of the quadcopter involuntarily turned around 180 to view a silhouette of a portrait in frame, the sunlight obscuring his features. When the auto-light adjusted itself, it revealed a built looking man wearing thick framed glasses, smirking into the camera.

Emma gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, "Shit," Sitara said putting her hand on Emma's knee to try to comfort her, "Guys, it's Owen."

"Hey there, losers!" Owen's voice said through the camera. Emma still stared wide eyes at him as he proceeded to talk. "I really don't like how close you've been getting to me. But this isn't the end, you know. Not even close. I have more hideouts. And more dead ends for you to run into. I know exactly where you've been, and I know where you'll go. I will win and Dedsec will regret everything that had anything to do with me," He said. Emma pulled her knees up to her chest, not feeling safe. Wrench tore his eyes away from Owen's face to look at Emma. She looked so scared and helpless. He wanted to murder the man on the screen for making Emma feel like that. He looked back at Owen during his last stretch of his speech. "Oh, and my dear Emelia... It's so nice seeing you smile again. Will only make it that much sweeter when I destroy your life again," He finished speaking and starting laughing. Before the video feed could end, Wrench began walking forward to try and break through a window to the building. He just wanted to get in, and Owen knew they were there so no point in being stealthy.

Marcus was quick to jump up and stop him, putting a hand out to his shoulder, "This is a bad idea, man" Marcus warned, "You know it is."

"He's right there, Marcus. I can get him!" Wrench tried to plead.

"He knew we were coming, he's prepared. We're not. It's not over yet, Wrench," Marcus tried to reason.

"He's using scare tactics. We've caught up!" Wrench said. He believed Owen just wanted to pretend he had the upper hand. He was going to get caught, no matter what, so he took the advantage to scare them. Wrench pushed past Marcus and continued on.

"You know I can't let you do that," Marcus tried to reason trying to stop him once again.

Wrench didn't budge, "Get out of my way or come with me."

Marcus sighed casually pulling out his gun and cocking it, "Fine."

Wrench stopped when he heard the gun being cocked. He didn't want his friend to risk his life as Wrench was probably risking his. He sighed, "Just go back to the van and make sure Emma is okay."

Marcus shook his head, "I think you need babysitting more than she does now."

"Marcus!" Wrench yelled before he felt a sharp pain in his arm, synced with a loud boom sound. He yelled and covered his arm where he felt the sudden jolt of pain. He looked down and saw his arm was bleeding. It didn't take long for him to realize he got shot, but it was still jarring. He steadied his own stun shotgun and aimed it in the general direction of where the gunshot sounded like it came from. The kickback from the shotgun put a strain on his injured arm, but the adrenaline dulled some of the pain.

Marcus ducked and shot blindly in the direction, as well, despite not seeing anyone. Before they could shoot off more than 5 rounds, there was an explosion from the building next to them. Marcus and Wrench both stopped and looked up to see the building crumble on itself.

"Hey you idiots, get in here!" Sitara yelled from the driver's seat. Marcus put his arm behind Wrench, helping guide him to the van, both of them ducking in case more gunshots were going to go off. Emma was kneeling in the bed of the van, holding out a custom gun. She fired and Marcus and Wrench only heard the sound of ice shattering behind them. Marcus turned back to see the ground and parts of the wall were frozen.

"Awesome…." He stopped and whispered, gawking at the sight before him.

"Come on!" Emma shouted, aiming another round and firing.

Marcus snapped out of it and stepped into the van with Wrench, Emma firing one last round. Marcus closed the van doors behind them, as Sitara slammed on the acceleration, heading out of the alley way. Marcus successfully locked the doors, and Wrench slumped on the side of the van, holding on to his arm. "Are you fucking crazy?!" Sitara asked, mostly directing her anger at Wrench for acting on his own.

"Sitara, just focus on getting us out of here!" Marcus said.

Emma was still stunned by the events that just occurred, but she would worry about it more when they were away from harm. She was happy to see Marcus and Wrench were alive, but she noticed the blood coming out of Wrench's left arm, and all over the hand he has placed on it. Her heart sank to her stomach. It looked like it grazed the side of his arm, but it didn't change the fact that there was a lot of blood. Emma carefully maneuvered her way to the other side of Wrench, ignoring Sitara telling her to sit down. She kneeled next to him, with his eyes upon her, even if she couldn't tell with the mask. She ripped off one of her sleeves into a long piece, "Move your hand," She demanded.

"What are you-" Wrench asked.

"Shut up," She interrupted and moved his hand herself. He was feeling weak so she was able to overpower him in that moment. That, or he didn't feel like fighting her. She wrapped her sleeve around his arm to try to stop the bleeding. He looked down at her face as she was wrapping it. At least this proves she isn't angry enough with him to let him die. As if she'd let anyone die like that. Her eyes were furrowed upward, clearly worried. Wrench felt bad for being the cause of her looking so sad. But the source of all her troubles was with the guy he was going to try to go after, so he didn't regret it. She finished tying the knot and let her hand linger on his arm, moving her eyes up from his wound to his mask. If there were any perfect time to see his face, it would have been then.

"Sorry I couldn't get him," He said.

She frowned, tears threatening to form in her eyes, "You're an idiot…" She said forcefully, but quietly.

"I know," Wrench said softly, almost inaudible under his mask.

Once Marcus knew no one was chasing them anymore, he moved up to the front to sit next to Sitara, who was then driving at a normal speed.

Emma turned her body to the side to sit more comfortably next to Wrench. Their hips were touching and she snaked both her arms around his injured one, holding onto it carefully as to not hurt his wound. He moved his arm out so it was more comfortable for her to hold. Wrench looked down at her caressing his tattoos again, only this time it was his other arm. He leaned his head back on the side of the van and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her. It was the best distraction, he almost couldn't even feel the pulsating pain in his upper arm.

~~~Hackerspace~~~

Wrench's arm was confirmed not to have a bullet lodged in it. They were able to replace Emma's makeshift tourniquet with proper medical supplies. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Ray said when Sitara told him what happened.

Everyone was at the table, except for Emma, who was on the futon. She hadn't spoken a single word since they got back. Part of her brain wouldn't let her let down the fact that it was her fault what happened. Maybe she was the useless one in the group. She was just a chemist. There's no way she'd have any sort of help in stopping Owen. Emma's freedom was at the mercy of whenever Dedsec could outsmart Owen. But she was able to help them get out of there. Maybe she saved them from any further injuries. Meanwhile, the other part of her brain couldn't stop focusing on the images of the building and why it was so familiar to her. She couldn't give up. She owed it to everyone, she thought. Wrench getting injured was her fault, and she knew that. She wasn't sure how to go talk to him, especially after snapping at him earlier. She knew what Sam was saying was a lie or a misunderstanding, but a poor combination of events led her to having a short fuse.

Wrench didn't appreciate Ray calling what he did "dumb". He agreed, but at the time, he didn't care. He was tired of seeing Emma so scared. Owen was the cause of her stress and he just wanted him out of the picture.

Sitara, Marcus, and Ray were discussing things, but Wrench wasn't really paying attention. Emma stood up off the futon and walked over to the stairs. He looked up to see her making eye contact with him. It was deliberate. She didn't look away. Once she reached the stairs, she slowly looked back ahead of her and climbed up the stairs. Did she want him to follow her? He wondered. After a few moments of pretending to pay attention to the others, Wrench stood up and walked upstairs to see Emma.

She was leaning against the wall in the hallway, turning her head once she heard the door open. She smiled, and he nodded back, not sure what to display on his mask, "I'm sorry I got mad…" She said softly.

Wrench wasn't sure what to respond with. He knew he had to say something, "Don't be," He said. It was a safe response.

"Sam really got in my head… I don't know why I believed him. I think I was just -" Emma began.

"No, really, it's okay," Wrench said not wanting her to stay stressed.

"It's not… Maybe the problem isn't that people are manipulative… Maybe I'm just that trusting and naive," Emma said.

"Emma, it's not your fault," Wrench assured.

Emma shrugged, "Is any of what Sam said was true?" She wasn't sure why she asked. She was already sure it wasn't, but she had to hear him say it.

Wrench wanted to say he liked her. He wanted her to be his, and to stop seeing Sam. Not because he was jealous, but because he was dangerous. He just didn't know how to say it without sounding possessive. Anything he said could be taken the wrong way, and he didn't want her to be uncomfortable "Not at all."

Emma nodded. They were silent for a moment, neither of them sure of what else to say. Emma looked down at the ground as Wrench was leaning against the wall opposite of her, arms crossed. "How's your arm?" She finally asked.

"Stopped bleeding and I'm on some pain killers. Basically like nothing happened," He said displaying a smiling face on his mask.

Emma knew it wasn't true. Something did happen. But she appreciated that he wanted everything to be okay again. She smiled back, staring at his mask. For a second, she wanted to ask him to take it off. But instead she walked forward and hugged him, surprising herself and Wrench. "Ow," she muttered as she quickly let off the hug due to the studs on his vest. Instead, she snaked her arms under his vest to properly hug his torso. He was warm, she thought. And thin. Her head was laying comfortably on his chest, hearing his accelerated heartbeat, making her smile.

Wrench lightly wrapped his good arm around her, stroking her shoulder with his thumb. He wasn't sure what to do, "Don't like the studs?" He asked, trying to make light of the situation.

She chuckled, "Are they some sort of defense mechanism from hugs?"

"Sure, something like that," Wrench said, not realizing how close she was to the truth.

"Oh," Emma muttered as she slowly tried to pull back, feeling awkward for hugging him when he probably didn't like it.

But he didn't let her. Wrench pulled her back into him, holding onto her tighter, "Not from you," He said like she should have known. He moved his injured around to wrap around her lower back, unable to lift it any higher.

"Please don't do that ever again," She muttered in his chest. Tears were already forming in her eyes. She wasn't sure why she was getting emotional all of a sudden, but she guessed it was because of the sudden comfort she felt around him. Someone to hold her and make her feel safe, even if it was only temporary. But she didn't want to cry around him, so she tried to fight the tears off.

"Can't make any promises," Wrench said, still trying to keep the situation light. He obviously couldn't tell her that he would do it again if it meant having the chance to end Owen.

The door to the hackerspace opened up, and Emma and Wrench quickly broke their hug, Emma moving back to the other side of the hallway, leaning her back against it. The sudden movement with his arm made Wrench winse and Emma gave him apologetic eyes. Sitara walked out from the door, "Oh, good, I thought you ran off," She said to Emma.

"Nah, just needed some air," She said quickly, trying to find an excuse, even though it didn't make sense. She scrunched her eyebrows together at her own stupidity.

"Right. Getting _air_ from an indoor hallway," Sitara smirked.

Emma shrugged, "Yeah, well."

Sitara eyes her carefully and turned to Wrench, "What'd you do?"

Wrench was alarmed, "I'm sorry... Is something my fault again?" He asked sarcastically.

"You broke my dear Emma," Sitara said dramatically, putting her arms Emma.

Emma chuckled, "He didn't do anything, I just didn't want to hear about him anymore," Emma said referring to Owen.

"Yeah, don't we all… You ready to go home? It's been a pretty big day," Sitara asked Emma.

It was, Emma agreed. But this wasn't anything compared to what they'll run into further down the line. Owen was going to fight back even harder. They all had to be more careful, "Yeah give a sec?" Emma asked Sitara.

Sitara wanted to grin at her attempt to be alone with Wrench for a second longer. She really wanted to do something to mess with her, but after the day she had, maybe she'd let her have this one, "Sure, I'll meet you up front," Sitara said and walked out of the hallway, to the main store.

Emma waited for Sitara to turn the corner before looking back at Wrench, "Thank you… for everything," She said in a hushed tone. Wrench just nodded, unsure of what to say. Emma reached down to grab Wrench's hand, which he didn't fight off. "See you tomorrow?" She asked, staring into his mask.

Wrench hated his situation. She was holding his hand, looking up at his face. He wanted to take his mask off and let whatever could happen, happen. But he couldn't. He was afraid to take it off. He was only partially worried about what she would think about his real face. It wasn't so much the face, as the person that face belonged to. The mask helped him forget who he was. Taking it off would only show her a person that he didn't even like. How was he going to expect her to? He thought. "See you tomorrow," He assured in a quiet voice.

Emma's smile faltered a little bit, but she tried not to let it affect her. What was she expecting? She stepped backwards a bit, hands slowly separating as she walked out of the hallway and into the main room to meet with Sitara.

Wrench could still feel her hand in his. How could he think that anything would happen after Owen is gone? Wrench knew he wanted to be with Emma, but he had his own personal demons to deal with before that would ever happen, and he imagined it would take longer than dealing with Owen. He sighed, wishing it could be easier. At the moment, he just wanted to focus on Dedsec's mission. Taking down "Cyb0rg" wasn't only about Emma. He's been a menace to Dedsec for months. He had to start seeing it as a professional issue, rather than personal. He walked back downstairs to the Hackerspace seeing Marcus and Ray discuss things that didn't sound like they were about Owen.

Marcus looked over to see his friend looking morose, "Hey, you good, man? How's that arm?" He asked.

"The arm's nothing," Wrench answered. The pain in his arm was actually a welcome distraction to his overactive brain thinking about Emma. Wrench walked over to where the first aid and popped another pain killer before it became worse, "This wouldn't be my first time getting shot, you know," He laid down on the futon, hoping to just pass out there. He could have gone to his own apartment, but at that moment, the sounds of voices in the background was something he needed, "Hey Marcus?"

Marcus called over, "Yeah?"

"Thanks for having my back out there," Wrench said. He was so busy thinking about Emma that he didn't realize Marcus basically saved his life by not letting him go into the building. It may not have been a huge gesture on Marcus's part, but it meant the world to Wrench.

"Don't even mention it," Marcus said.

"Remember, son, you can't take care of Emma without taking care of yourself," Ray said softly, trying to be supportive. He thought what Wrench did was stupid, but he would have been devastated if he didn't come back.

"I'll have to keep that in mind," Wrench said.


	6. 6 - Dollface

Hello! Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a good time celebrating. Thanks again for the continued support for my story! I'm really happy you guys are enjoying it! I appreciate and every follow/favorite/review so much! They keep me motivated. But to respond to a few recent reviews here: I love writing Emma, but I have to make her shitty sometimes so she seems a little bit real. I hate the airhead MarySue characters. But I do love me some drama/conflict ;D. Makes it more fun for me. Especially with Wrench's internal dilemma with his mask. There's an audio log in the game where the FBI made up their own psychological profile hinting that he wears the mask due to a troubled childhood which is why he's socially awkward and has trouble conveying his emotions. So it's to help him/hide him from his past, I think. Poor Wrench ;_;

Also, I'm glad you guys were able to tell Sam was gonna be a piece of shit. BUT WAIT. THERE'S MORE.

Anyway, here's the first of 2017! (Sorry about any typos, it's almost 6am again oops) :D Enjoy!

-Blink

* * *

~~~Emma's Lab~~~

Emma and Sitara stood around her lab tables. Emma leaned her back against one, with Sitara leaning half her body on one, "Shouldn't he be here by now?" Sitara asked.

Emma looked down at her phone reading Sam's past text telling her that he'd be around at 11am. The clock was now almost 11:30, "Not sure… He's never been late. You think something happened to him?" Emma asked.

"Don't jump to conclusions. He's testing your sympathy," Sitara said rolling her eyes.

Emma thought it was cold, but didn't say anything. She agreed it was too soon to assume he was harmed, but she couldn't help but feel concerned, "What do you have planned later anyway?" She asked.

"Not sure. Got a few people from the IRC that I'm meeting up with. Doesn't concern you, so you don't have to worry about forcing your way into my plans," Sitara joked.

Emma rolled her eyes, but smiled, "Ha. Ha," She laughed sarcastically, "I saved your guys' ass last time," Emma said confidently.

"Don't push it. We had guns, too," Sitara said.

"AND who knows if Owen would have even showed his face if I weren't with you. So that's better than a dead end!" Emma pressed on.

"You realize you called yourself bait, right?" Sitara asked.

"I'll call myself whatever I have to for you to say that I'm right!" Emma said.

Sitara peered over at Emma, squinting her eyes at Emma's enthusiasm, "Well, you're not wrong."

Emma threw her hands up, "God dammit Sitara, what is it going to take!?"

"Letting US to our job, and you doing yours," Sitara smiled, straightening herself up.

Emma groaned and threw her head back, "I'll never-" She began but was interrupted by her phone sounding a notification. She looked down to see Sam's text alerting that he's arrived, "He's here!" Emma whispered. Sitara walked to the backroom, hiding around the corner. Emma opened the door to allow Sam to walk in.

He stormed in as soon as the door opened, not giving Emma a chance to greet him, and starting speaking very quickly, not making eye contact with her at all, "Emma I'm so sorry about yesterday. I'm not sure what came over me I just…I thought Wrench was trying to threaten me and scare me off, but I know it's not my place to tell you what to do. I was just worried about you with his behavior, but maybe you like him, so I guess I should just back off. But I know about what you went through with Owen, so I was just looking out for you," He finished finally looking at her.

Emma was taken aback and was barely keeping up with what he was saying and took a minute before she could say anything, "Um…." Was all she could come up with.

Sam threw his arms down and turned around, "I knew I shouldn't have said anything… I fucked it all up, I'm sorry…" He muttered.

"Fucked up what?" Emma asked carefully.

Sam sighed and turned back to her, "I really like you, Emma."

Emma's eyes widened, "Wha?"

Sam grabbed her hands with his own and looked down at her, "I know I seemed crazy.. I just didn't trust Wrench. But I do now because you do. What do you say?"

Emma looked around with her eyes, "...About...what?"

Sam chuckled, "About us!"

Emma quickly pulled her hands back, "We're just lab partners… or whatever Sitara said you were. Sorry…" She said and walked back to her table. She wasn't sure where this sudden burst of Sam's affection came from.

"It's Wrench isn't it? I knew it!" Sam said.

"...N-no, it's you," Emma said slowly. "I like you as a friend, but that's it, Sam."

Sam stared back at her looking defeated, "Just think about it," He said softly, "Call me?" He asked. Emma nodded involuntarily. There was nothing she had to think about. He accepted the nod and walked out.

Once the door secured, Sitara walked back from the door, "Hooooly shiiiiit," She said, "That was sooo awkward. I had no idea he was like that!" Sitara said. Emma looked down at the ground, beginning to lightly bite at her nails.

"That's the thing. He never was…" Emma said quietly, concentrating.

"He never was to me either. Maybe he really has it bad for you," Sitara shrugged.

Emma shook her head, "No… I felt no affection from any of that. Everything he said was familiar… Like things Owen has said to me," She finally looked up from the ground to Sitara.

Sitara shook her head and chuckled, "You don't think…." Sitara began, not wanting to believe Sam could be working for Owen.

Emma continued her eye contact with Sitara, a slight touch of fear glinting in her eye, before she quickly shrugged it off, "Of course not. That'd just be us getting paranoid, right?"

Sitara wasn't convinced, but silently agreed with her, "Owen doesn't have that much control."

But he did, Emma thought.

~~~Wrench's garage~~~

Marcus and Wrench walked away from the engine of the car they were working on to reach Wrench's table full of gadgets. Although, they were talking about anything but the car….

"Man, I knew I had a weird feeling about Sam. Never thought it was because of that," Marcus said.

"But it was just out of the blue! He seemed like he was trying to _remember_ things to say to me," Wrench said.

"You mean like it was staged?" Marcus asked.

Wrench sighed, not sure how to describe it, "If you were there, you'd understand."

"I can get an idea," Marcus said, "So you and Emma good then?"

"I think so. She seemed weirded out by it, too, but we sort of… I don't know, 'made up' last night?" Wrench said nervously. He wasn't sure how to word it.

"Made up, huh?" Marcus said with one eyebrow raised.

"We talked, Marcus," Wrench said feigning annoyance.

Marcus laughed, "Yeah, yeah. Just messing with you. But if you did-"

"You know I'd tell you the second it happened. Either out of excitement or depression, we'll see if we get there," Wrench said.

"Just tell her already!" Marcus said, borderline whining.

Wrench thought about what he was feeling last night. His own insecurities with himself would never allow him to have a normal relationship, no matter how much he wanted one - maybe even with Emma. He shook his head, "After we deal with Owen…" He said once again. It was to show courtesy for Emma, as well as giving him more time to sort out his own issues.

Marcus didn't want to press on, but he thought it was ridiculous to wait. Emma had friends, she knew that, but he figured having someone closer would make her feel her more secure. Either Wrench was still worried about himself or having more responsibilities, Marcus couldn't decide, "Whatever you say man. But if you ever want my advice, it's going to be to go for it."

"I'll keep that in mind," Wrench said studying Marcus' face. He knew he wanted to say more. Wrench displaying two angry emoticons on his mask, "Spit it out."

"Just go for it, man! If I were you, I would have told her forever ago!" Marcus said, feeling more passionate about the discussion.

"Yeah, most people would," Wrench said before he erased any emotion from his mask.

It dawned on Marcus and he relaxed, "It's about the mask," Wrench felt shy all of a sudden and he turned around to fumble with the gadgets on his table, "Has she asked?"

"Sort of… Well, not directly," Wrench answered, unsure, "It's kind of the way she looks at me," Wrench said, feeling light thinking about her eyes staring back at him.

"Would you… if she asked?" Marcus asked, referring to Wrench taking off his mask for her.

Wrench didn't answer right away, mostly because he didn't know how, "I want to… maybe.. I don't know," He muttered quickly, "God dammit!" He shouted dropping what he was holding and walking away from the table.

Marcus wanted to speak but he heard Wrench's phone vibrate from the table next to him. He saw Emma's name pop up with the text reading: Let me in, it's cold! "Uhh, Emma's here and she's cold."

"Shit, she going to notice that I've been moping for the last hour?" He asked grabbing his phone.

Marcus studied Wrench's posture and scrunched part of his face, "Ehh."

"Don't leave me, Marcus. I need you!" Wrench pleaded.

"You got this, buddy! Don't blow it!" Marcus said heading closer to the door.

"Remember this, Marcus!" Wrench called out.

Marcus laughed as he opened the door to see Emma standing by it, "Oh hey, Marcus!" She smiled.

"Hey, Emma! Bye, Emma!" Marcus said tapping her on the shoulder and leaving, glancing back at Wrench one last time.

"Oh, bye Marcus," She said and turned to Wrench, "I finally get to see your garage," She said briefly looking around.

"It's my second home," Wrench said, "Well, I guess I spend more time here, so… first home?"

"I used to sleep in my lab. I know all about that," Emma smiled.

Wrench smiled with her. She understood him even if they had different professions. Wrench cleared his throat, "So, uh, it's my turn to show you something," He said and led her to a table filled with his own projects and his laptop.

"Have you been working?" She asked concerned with his injury.

"Not you too… Sitara already mom'd out on me," Wrench said, "It's not even that bad." Emma didn't say anything, accepting that he could handle himself, "Check this out," He said pointing to his laptop screen.

"What is… Wait, is that my freeze gun?" Emma asked. It was a 3D model of her freeze gun.

"It is! You left it at the hackerspace last night so I was able to scan it in," Wrench said and brought up a stool to move in front of the laptop, "Here, sit down."

Emma sat down without taking her eyes off the screen. She moved the mouse to try to see the different angles, "You just scanned it in?"

Wrench nodded, "I hope you don't mind, but there's another version where I adjusted the tension and made the base smaller. Barrel is the same size, unless you want to change it," He explained.

"I didn't even think about 3D printing…" She said, still staring at the screen, inspecting the 3D version of something she built, "You guys really have everything, huh?"

"I wouldn't say everything, but the 3D printers make it pretty close," Wrench walked out of view to grab a printed version of Emma's freeze gun prototype, "Made it possible to make this."

"Make what?" Emma asked as she turned to see what he was holding. She jumped out of her seat and covered her face with her hands for a second before she walked up to Wrench to inspect the gun, "You already printed it!"

Wrench laughed, "Yeah, it's your first version. I didn't really want to change it without asking you."

Emma's heart slightly fluttered for a reason she couldn't really figure out. He knew her freeze gun prototype was her baby and he didn't want to change anything, even though he already messed around with it in the software. She just grabbed the freeze gun from him and turned around to inspect it herself. Tears formed in her eyes, that she tried to hold back. But she already wiped one of her eyes before she realized she was doing it.

Wrench noticed and felt awkward, like he shouldn't have printed it, "Shit, Emma. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have printed it without asking you first," He said, "You wanted to be the first one to see it."

Emma shook her head, "No, they're happy tears! Do you know how much easier this will make things?!" She asked, looking at Wrench, tears shimmering in her eyes.

Yet he was still uncomfortable seeing her cry, "You sure?" He asked.

"Of course! I don't really care about the guns themselves, Wrench, but I need something to use the ammunition I make, you know?" She explained.

"So you don't care that I saw it first?" Wrench asked.

Emma shook her head, "As long as I can make sure my ammo works! You're making this so much easier."

Wrench let out a breath of air that he didn't know he was holding and relaxed, "Making me go through all these emotions. I can't handle it," He said dramatically.

Emma laughed, "We make a really great team!" She stood in front of Wrench, smiling.

He felt nervous and began to rub the back of his head, "Yeah, we are, aren't we?" He said quietly, mostly to himself.

Emma squealed and hugged him for a second, too quick for him to respond and hug her back. This was one shorter, more friendlier than the first. Emma pulled back and turned to set the gun on the desk, peaking at the software on the laptop to try to make sense of it, muttering random words to herself.

Wrench took a second to study her. She wasn't ignoring him, but he felt second best all of a sudden. She was a chemist first, he knew that. And he should have known since he was an engineer first. He wanted to be selfish, but he pushed that feeling aside to focus on her gun, "So, what do you think?"

"Hmm…. I think…" She muttered before taking a deep breath, "Increase recoil tension by 35%. That'll give it pinpoint accuracy across 50 feet. Any more and the capsules that hold the dry ice will burst from the air velocity," She rambled on, "Reduce barrel capacity width by… 20% so they can be held more securely," Emma said. Wrench stared at her. He was uncomfortable to admit that he was feeling slightly turned on by listening to her talk about her own obsession. He liked that she knew exactly what she was talking about, "Got it?" She asked knocking him out of his daze.

"Yeah!" He said trying to play it cool as he turned to his laptop and readjusted exactly what she was instructing him to do so. She was very close to him, occasionally touching his arm. He liked it and hated it at the same time. Hated it because it was distracting. But distracting for all the right reasons.

"I never thought of this before… You don't have to worry about physical resources anymore with this," She said, mostly to herself. She's never had a 3D printer and never thought she'd have access to one for her weapons.

"It's pretty limitless. We'll never run out of the filaments. The only downside is time. So trial and error isn't exactly the best way to go about things. Printing this one out took about 6 hours," Wrench explained.

"6 hours, but it takes a lot more effort and time to find physical parts to assemble what I had going on," Emma said.

Wrench nodded, "Yeah, that's a good point. You want me to print this one out and see what we get?"

"Waitwaitwait," Emma got off the stool and walked over to the 3D printer, staring in front of it, "Okay, go." Wrench clicked around to begin the printing process. He hit the enter key which triggered the 3D printer to wake up from sleep mode, and prepare to print, "It's making noise!" Emma cheered.

"Yeah, tends to do that," Wrench said and walked over to the 3D printer to stand somewhat behind her, leaning on a car that was parked.

She stared at it like she was waiting for Santa. The needle started to move around, dispensing filament, beginning the base. After about a minute of admiring it, she turned back to Wrench, "So, 6 hours, huh?"

He let out a quick laugh, "Yup. Actually got a lot of stuff done waiting," He said gesturing to his garage, which Emma noticed was slightly organized.

"Wait… six hours? It's only 2pm. When did you start?" Emma asked.

"Woke up at the hackerspace at like 3am and couldn't fall back asleep. So I just came here," Wrench shrugged.

"You know, you could get a pretty solid nap in 6 hours," Emma smiled.

"Trying to get rid of me?" He asked, winking through his mask.

"Of course not, but you must be tired, though! I'd feel bad making you run errands or whatever with me," Emma said.

"You wouldn't be _making_ me do anything. My day is now yours," Wrench offered with a smile.

Emma thought for a second, "Well, we could always do what we said we'd do when we first met. Turn up some toy stores," She said with a bright smile that Wrench couldn't help but emulate on his mask. Mostly that she remembered, but that she wanted to go out and actually spend time with him.

~~~Hackerspace~~~

Marcus walked down to greet Sitara and Josh, "You rang?"

"We have to do something about Sam," Sitara began.

"Yeahhhh," Marcus winced, "If it's about Emma, Wrench told me a bit about it."

"Emma said he reminded her of Owen," Sitara said.

"Wrench said Sam felt staged," Marcus added.

"Okay, so he's suspicious on both of their ends. But I've known Sam for years, there's no way he'd just turn on us," Sitara said and crossed her arms, trying to think of something that would make Sam an early red flag.

"Owen could have easily just talked to him and changed his mind," Marcus offered.

"Josh even hacked his phone and didn't find anything," Sitara said.

"He could have another phone. Or another way to communicate with Owen," Josh said.

"We think he has a meeting place," Sitara said.

Marcus nodded, "So find Sam and see what he's been up to?"

Sitara shrugged, "It's the only way. Owen is untraceable at the moment, so Sam is our best bet."

"Does Ray know?" Marcus asked noticing he wasn't around.

Sitara seemed reluctant to answer, "Not about Sam. Didn't get a chance to talk it over with him. He's trying to find any digital footprints left by Owen."

"Guess it's not a bad idea to cover all bases. Emma's with Wrench right now," Marcus explained.

"Alone?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Marcus laughed, "Working on "projects" together," He said using air quotes.

"Aw, adorable," Sitara teased.

~~~Somewhere in San Francisco~~~

Emma and Wrench walked into a small, local pawn shop. The shop owner sat behind the counter, reading his paper. The second he looked up, he recognized Wrench and began to glare at him, "Hey Bogdan!" Wrench raised his arm greeting him. Bogdan just went back to reading his paper, carefully peering over at Wrench occasionally. Emma started to walk toward a table of toys, but stopped when she heard Wrench, "Hooooly shiiiit," He said displaying two "at" symbols in his mask when something on the shelf caught his eye.

Emma walked up closer to him, "What'd you find?"

He held the watch and showed it to Emma, "You know what this is?"

Emma stared wide eyed, "...A… watch?" She asked.

"Not just any watch. This was one of the first "smartwatches" made without computer assistance," He said using his mask to show air quotes, "Well this is a knock off. The first one was made specifically for one guy. Then companies tried to mass market them but no one wanted them. The real one can only be found drifting through museums. It last sold for $11 million!" Wrench explained.

Emma was impressed that he knew so much history about what she thought was a random watch, "I bet you could build your own for $11."

Wrench scoffed, "Well, yeah, almost 100 years later!"

"Mmm not the right attitude. Can we buy that to tear it apart and take pieces from?" Emma asked. She was still focused on the mission.

Wrench gasped and helded the watch closer to himself, "It's only a knock off, but it has feelings, too!"

Emma laughed, "Don't forget what we're here for! Are you going to buy it or not?"

Wrench put it back on the shelf, "Nah, just a cool thing to look at," He said shrugging.

"If it's so cool, then how come Nicolas Cage tried stealing the Declaration of Independence and not the watch?" Emma teased.

"Are you suggesting we write a movie?" Wrench asked.

"Or we can steal it ourselves and then they'll make a movie about us!" Emma said.

"Only if we can be in it!" Wrench added, "You think they'd call it _The Watchmen_ just to trick dummies into thinking it's a comic book remake?"

Emma laughed a little louder than she wanted and covered her mouth, "Wouldn't want rabid fanboys sending us death threats!"

"At least our movie will end up being better than that trash movie," Wrench said crossing his arms.

"We can hope. Hollywood would probably change our story and make it so the watch has magical powers. Though, they'll still say it's based on true events," Emma joked.

Wrench laughed, making Emma blush. Bogdan called out to them, from the counter, "Are you two crazy?!" He said with a foreign accent, "Are you talking about stealing in my own store?"

"Actually, we're talking about stealing from a museum!" Wrench called out. Emma smiled and covered her mouth at his audacity.

Bogdan stood up with a baseball bat, "I have microphones! Get out before I call the cops!" Wrench pulled on Emma's arm and left the pawn shop laughing. Emma was slightly panicking, yet she followed a very relaxed Wrench down the street.

"Wrench!" Emma said, "I can't go there ever again!" Looking back to see Bogdan outside of his shop with his baseball bat.

"Whatever, he always says shit like that," Wrench dismissed, "Besides, there's better places than his dump. I'll show you," Wrench said gesturing Emma to continue to follow him. She liked Bogdan's shop. She looked back to Bogdan, offering an apologetic look that she wasn't sure he saw.

~~~Somewhere in San Francisco~~~

Marcus was inside a local biker tavern pretending to drink a beer as he was carefully keeping an eye out in the crowd. There wasn't a sign outside the bar, leaving Marcus to realize that these bikers preferred to have the tavern belong to them and them only. Even the music would make most people leave the second they entered. But he had a mission. He waited until eventually his target walked in and sat in the corner of the bar. Sam. He looked nervous and kept playing with his sleeve. Marcus stood up and walked over to sit right in front of him.

Sam looked up, ready to talk, until he realized who it was, "Marcus!" He said quietly, but with surprise.

"Hey Sam, what are you doing here?" Marcus asked with a friendly voice. He first noticed a bruised cheekbone and a cut along the side of his face.

Sam looked around frantically and answered, "Meeting someone."

"Oh, me too!" Marcus said cheerfully, "How you been man? I feel like we haven't talked in awhile."

"Yeah, can we catch up later or something? This meeting is important," Sam said trying to rush Marcus away.

"Well, I don't see anyone here yet," Marcus said casually looking around.

"Yeah, maybe they cancelled. See ya la-" Sam stood up, attempting to walk away, but Marcus grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Why don't you just sit back down and relax," Marcus said with more force to his voice than before. Sam looked down at Marcus and after a few moments, he reluctantly sat down, staring at him. Sam didn't say a word, expecting Marcus to continue speaking, "So who were you waiting on?"

Sam gave Marcus a hard stare, not wanting to budge. He leaned forward, elbows on the table, "He knows you're here."

"Who?" Marcus asked, chest suddenly feeling heavy.

"You know," Sam said quietly.

Marcus guessed Owen, "Can he hear us right now?" Marcus asked, wondering if he had a mic on him.

Sam nodded, "He's everywhere. In every phone. In every webcam. He can see and hear it all."

Marcus wanted to call him out for being dramatic, but he had a feeling Sam has seen the worst of Owen's wrath, "You need to stay away from Emma," Marcus said, talking to both Sam and Owen.

"She's plagued us, Marcus. She's the little virus that he's spread to us," Sam said fearfully, "And we have to do what he says or he'll completely expose us."

"You're letting him get to you. Just what he wants. He can't do anything," Marcus said bravely.

"Don't provoke him, Marcus," Sam pleaded.

Marcus chuckled, "He's a joke! This guy's a fear monger and nothing else," He leaned over the table, getting into Sam's face, "I _dare_ him to do something about me."

Sam gritted his teeth, "You're going to regret saying that…"

Marcus stood up, "I"ll be waiting," He said and walked away, leaving Sam to slam his fist on the table and lean back.

~~~KB Toy's~~~A few hours later~~~

Emma and Wrench walked into their 5th shop, which was a modern toy story. Emma led him to the movie action figure section, pointing at the 4 different Predator figures on display, "See!" She said.

"What the fuck?" He muttered grabbing one off the peg hook, "People realize these are for adults and not kids, right?"

"Toy stores are for all children. Even man-children," Emma said. Wrench peered over to her with dashes displayed on his mask, to which Emma replied to by sticking her tongue out, "You've been really good today, want me to buy it for you?" Emma asked, continuing her teasing.

Wrench put it back on the hook, "Oh, gee, would-?" He started, but got interrupted.

"Emma?!" A high pitched voice cheered.

Emma's eyes widened and turned around to see a redhead standing with a shorter woman with a brunette bob cut behind her, equally as excited to see Emma "Oh… Heather!" Emma said surprised, "And Lily!"

"Oh my god how are you?!" Heather, the redhead, asked, hugging her.

Emma hugged her back, then accepted Lily's greeting and hug, "I'm alright! Wow, haven't seen you guys since we graduated!" She said.

"Three years! How you been? What are you doing here?" Heather asked.

"I've been good!" She said, not even telling her the whole truth, "And just killing time. You?" Emma asked.

"Just shopping for Lily's son's birthday," Heather explained.

"You have a son! How old is he?" Emma asked.

"He'll be 2 next week!" Lily said proudly with a smile.

"2! Wow do you have pictures?" Emma asked. She didn't necessarily care, but she wanted to be polite. Lily brought out her phone to show pictures.

Heather peered over to Wrench, who was pretending to look at the figures still, so that Emma didn't feel rushed. Heather always had a thing for the punk rock type and was intrigued by his style, especially his mask. She focused on Emma again, "So are you and, uh, what's his name…Owen still together?"

Emma stiffened. Wrench slightly glanced over to make sure she was okay, but was relieved when Emma responded with a short laugh, "No we've been broken up for over a year."

Heather bit her lip and pointed to Wrench, "Is that your new boyfriend?" Heather was hoping Emma say no.

Emma glanced back at Wrench, who looked at her casually waiting for her to respond. Emma blushed before quickly turning back, "N-no! Hah! This is umm…." Emma began and tilted her head.

"Wrench?" Wrench stated quietly with two question marks on his mask.

"Wrench! This is my _friend_ Wrench," Emma offered. Wrench walked up to shake their hands. He wasn't sure if Emma was flustered with the idea of him being her boyfriend, or appalled. He was just going to enjoy the display of a frazzled Emma instead of thinking too deeply into it, "These are my friends from college, Heather and Lily," Emma wasn't making eye contact with anyone, but noted how clean the floor looked.

Wrench shook hands with Heather first, who's handshake lingered on for a lot longer, as she twirled her hair, "Uh, nice to meet you," He said awkwardly, then shaking Lily's hand.

"So, if you're just friends, why are you in a toy store together?" Heather asked, eyes only on Wrench.

Emma chuckled nervously, "I was trying to prove to him that they still sell Predator toys to 8 year olds."

"Oh my god, I LOVE Predator! My brother makes costumes and he's made some Predator ones!" Heather chimed in.

Lily groaned, "Not this again!"

"No way! That's awesome!" Wrench said.

"Yeah, can your brother make him one?" Emma asked quietly, still nervous, pointing her thumb at Wrench.

"You'd love it," Wrench said winking through his mask, tapping her arm with the back of his hand, to which Emma rolled her eyes.

Heather felt they had some sort of friends-with-benefits thing going on so she told herself to back off, but at the same time she couldn't help but want to flirt with him. Heather gave herself a mental note to ask Emma more about what she had going on with Wrench. Lily turned to see the look in Heather's eyes and didn't like it. She knew.

Emma looked at Wrench the entire time during the rest of the conversation. He and Heather were mostly going on about Predator and her brother's involvement in the costume making scene. He got along with her friends so easily, and they seemed to get along with him. She was smiling, appreciating how friendly he was despite a few occasions where he showed aggression. Heather's comment was still in her mind. _Boyfriend._ Emma's eyes softened and just realized how kind he was to her. How he always wanted to help her and regretted when he couldn't. With how he was getting along with her annoying friends, Wrench would be a great boyfriend, she thought. She immediately stopped what she was thinking and went pale. How could she think that out of nowhere? She wondered. Then her vision completely changed. The scene in front of her suddenly shifted. Wrench was getting along a little too well with Heather. She was touching his arm when she laughed. Wrench's body almost completely turned to Heather, away from Emma. Emma's smile slowly disappeared.

"Emma!" Her name snapped her out of her trance and she saw Lily smiling at her, "Don't leave me hanging! You want to come to my bachlorette party or not?"

Emma felt bad she completely missed what Lily said. Heather's eyes were now on her as well. She didn't even want to look at Wrench, "Uhh, when, again?"

"Saturday!" Lily said, "Twist Nightclub!"

That was in two days, Emma noted, "Give me your number and I'll let you know later?" Emma asked, handing her phone to Lily to type in her phone number.

"Awww can't even make time for an old friend's party?" Heather teased.

Emma wanted to slap her, then immediately scolded herself for it. She was just jealous, she noted, "I'm kind of on call this weekend, but I'll try to work something out," Emma forced herself to smile and turned to Wrench, "You ready to go?" She asked. Emma was no longer able to be in a group.

"After you," He said and she wasted no time to wave goodbye to her friends and walk away. He followed her, but turned to the girls quickly, Lily held out Emma's phone out, "Oh, thanks," Wrench said grabbing Emma's phone, "Nice meeting you two!" He said and caught up with Emma. Heather and Lily gave each other a concerned look.

Wrench followed Emma outside the toy store, noticing she had a quicker pace than usual, "Had enough, I take it?" Wrench asked. He didn't want to say anything, but Heather sure knew how to talk.

"Yup," She answered quickly, looking down at the ground.

"You forgot your phone," Wrench said softly handing it to her.

Emma glanced to her side to see her phone. She reached out for it, lightly grazing Wrench's hand as she grabbed it. She got nervous and dropped it, "Shit," She muttered and stopped walking. What was wrong with her, she wondered. There were many times she touched Wrench, they even held hands before. Why was she getting all flustered over him all of a sudden.

Wrench bent down to pick it up for her, "You okay?" He asked lightly, a slight chuckle to it.

Emma snatched her phone from him, this time more carefully to avoid grazing fingers again, "Of course," She said quickly, not convincing Wrench.

"Is it… about Owen?" He asked carefully, not wanting to upset her further. He knew something was bothering her, even if denied it.

"What?" Emma asked curiously, making it a point to glance over to him for a second. She thought that might give him the idea that she was fine.

"When she asked about him," Wrench continued.

Emma remembered Heather mentioning Owen. It didn't bother her. She's gotten over Owen months ago, she was just afraid of him now. "N-no. It's nothing, really" She muttered, still staring at the ground as she continued walking.

"Look, you can go to that party if you want. Sitara could go with you or something, and-" Wrench began, but trailed off when he noticed Emma wasn't paying attention, "C'mon, say something. Talk to me," Wrench said getting desperate.

"Wrench," Emma said quickly looking at him in the eyes of the mask, hoping to somehow peep through, "I'm fine."

"Emma-"

"Don't 'Emma' me, let's just go," Emma interrupted.

"Was it something I said? Just tell me," He pressed on.

"Lay off!" She said slightly above her normal volume. She stopped to realize her outburst but didn't do anything to fix it. After a few moments of feeling awkward, she continued, "It's been a few hours, you think we could just get something to eat and go back to your garage?" Emma asked.

She was different, Wrench felt. He wasn't sure why, but in the last two minutes, she wasn't her usual self. He wanted to ask so much more. Instead, he nodded, "Wherever you want."

~~~Wrench's Garage~~~

Emma sat cross-legged on the counter, picking at her Chinese takeout. She was staring at the 3D printer finishing up the last legs of the revised gun. Although, her attention was on anything but the gun. She and Wrench haven't spoken much since they left the toy store, other than small talk involving food. She felt bad for lashing out. It wasn't his fault. It was Heather. Heather said "boyfriend" which caused her to suddenly start thinking about that being a reality. Emma admitted already that Wrench was charismatic and attractive in his own weird nerdy way, but she never cared to think further than that. She smiled thinking about him. Of course she liked him. He was nice and she just wanted to be nice back, but suddenly the need became stronger. She missed his presence. Wrench was in the backroom, probably eating, she thought. He wouldn't eat in front of her, she guessed. That would involve taking his mask off, which she knew he'd never do. She frowned. He certainly had his reasons, but Emma would always feel like he'd be keeping her at arm's length. Maybe she was just jealous that Heather got attention from him. Which was worse, she thought. She'd never want to be jealous of someone because of a man. Fuck Heather, she thought.

Wrench walked back into the main room, going straight to the laptop to see the progress. He noted it was always done, but didn't want to say anything. He looked up at Emma staring at the printer, eating her food. She still looked sad, "How's your food?" He asked. Again with the small talk, he thought. Why did it get so awkward with her?

Emma didn't take her eyes off the printer, "Good," She said, "How was yours?"

"How'd you know I ate already?" Wrench asked.

Emma lazily shrugged, "Just a guess," she said, but she was certain her assumption was correct.

"It was fine. Chinese food is all the same, anyway," Wrench shrugged. It wasn't his favorite food particularly. He hardly even liked it, but he knew Emma did, so he just wanted to make her happy.

"Racist," She muttered.

Wrench felt a little bit of weight lift off of his shoulders after her joke. He wanted to jump for joy, even. She wasn't mad enough to stay cold around him. Or maybe she was being serious, he didn't even know at that point, "Yeah, at least I have some beer for when I get hungry again in an hour."

Emma smiled taking a bite out of her food. Should she apologize? She didn't want to tell him what was in her mind, and why she was acting weird. He'd have a field day knowing she was jealous. Or maybe he'd be uncomfortable and ignore her? "I had a really nice time with you today," She said quietly.

"I did, too," He said softly. He was still confused as to why she got upset near the end of the night, but he guessed it didn't have anything to do with him. He guessed wrong, however.

Before she could elaborate, the printer suddenly went quiet, signaling that it stopped printing. She set down her chinese food and jumped off the counter, walking right up to it, "Is it...?" She asked.

Perfect timing, Wrench thought, and walked up to the printer, "Say hello to your new….freeze gun!" He said taking it out and holding it in front of Emma.

She clapped her hands together and reluctantly took it from Wrench. Her creation was revised without even having to search endlessly through smaller parts, or duct taping old ones. She held it in her hands, admiring the job the 3D printer did while Wrench was admiring her. Before he let himself gush too much, he pulled out the freeze darts from the gun she left and handed them to her, "Care to test it out?"

Emma wasted no time to take them from Wrench's hands, completely ignoring anything she was feeling before and loaded them up, "Wait, where can we shoot?" She asked.

~~~Somewhere in San Francisco~~~

Wrench led her to a train yard, far enough away from residential areas so that no one would find it suspicious. The only thing they would have to avoid is the off chance that someone on duty was around to keep horny teenagers away.

"You really do know San Fran like the back of your hand," Emma said, looking around. She had no idea where she was, but she obviously trusted him.

"Comes with the job description," Wrench said.

"Oh yeah? What else is in the job description?" Emma smirked.

"It's up for interpretation, really. Enough about me, you got free reign here!" Wrench outstretched his arms.

Emma chuckled, happy that they were acting normal with each other again. She took the freeze gun out of her backpack, and held it up, aiming at a train cart. She exhaled, but looked back at Wrench, "What if they find out it was us?"

"How would they do that?" Wrench asked.

Emma shrugged, "You're the hacker, you tell me!"

"Let me deal with the feds if they find out, all right?" He offered.

"The feds?" She asked with concern.

"Just shoot the gun," Wrench said impatiently. He wanted to see the final result just as much as she did.

Emma once again readied her gun to fire. She wanted to savor this moment. The moment of uncertainty. This gun could be everything she wanted or just another test number. What if the tension wasn't good enough? What if it didn't fire as far as she wanted. Ignoring all the 'what-ifs' for once, she inhaled and outstretched her arm, aiming at a train car. She exhaled and pulled the trigger. An ice dart shot out of the gun, pushing her back a little bit, to which she was able to regain her footing. The ice dart hit the side of the train car exactly where she aimed, leaving behind a giant blast, slightly bigger than she anticipated. The ice engulfed half the train car. She turned to Wrench with her arms up high, as did Wrench. He was cheering and walked up to Emma. She quickly hugged him, once again ignoring the studs, Wrench hugging her back. They quickly separated, yet were still cheering, pacing around, "It's exactly what I wanted it to be!"

"Only test number 2! That's amazing, Emma!" Wrench exclaimed. Her calculations were spot on, which amazed him.

"You know I couldn't have done it without you!" Emma said.

"You know what, i'll take the credit. That was awesome!" Wrench said and threw his arms up, "WOO!"

Emma giggled, and tried to shush him, "People will hear you!"

"FUCK them!" Wrench exclaimed, "You deserve this!"

"I don't want to go to jail over it!" Emma said shoving Wrench, still laughing.

Wrench scoffed and lowered his voice, "Whatever, you're on your way to becoming a Batman villain, and you know what happens to them in jail."

"Nothing, because they break out?" She asked sticking her tongue out.

"You got it, dollface," Wrench said winking through his mask.

Emma's heart skipped a beat at the nickname, but she tried to remain cool, "Aww is that my villain name?"

"Better than something lame like, Ice Queen or some shit," Wrench shrugged.

"Too bad Killer Frost has already been taken," Emma said sarcastically.

"Her name sucks, too. Ice names are too literal," Wrench argued.

"Wow, you have quite an opinion on alter ego names. _Wrench,"_ Emma said.

Wrench laughed, "You got me," He said keeping it short. There were many reasons for the name, but he let her have that one, "But we should probably go before someone does try to arrest us," Wrench said.

Emma put the freeze gun back in her backpack, "You said we were fine!"

"Yeah, what do I know?" He joked and started walking backwards towards the road. Emma slung her backpack over her shoulder, but didn't budge. After a few steps, he stopped.

She shook her head, "I'm sorry," She suddenly said, but it came out louder and more awkward than she wanted. _Shit_ , she thought, hoping he wouldn't have heard her. It was too late, she had to keep talking, "I just um…." she started. Well now she was fucked. She had to keep talking, "I keep giving you a hard time, and I'm really sorry."

"Hey, no sweat. You have a lot going on," He offered kindly, smiling through his mask.

"Yeah, but… You've been nothing but nice to me. I didn't mean to lash out on you. I'm just… sorry," She repeated.

"Is this about before?" He asked walking back up to her so she didn't have to raise her volume.

Emma nodded, but regretted it. She didn't want to admit that she was jealous over Heather getting attention, or that she was having boyfriend thoughts, or really anything. But she was in too deep and had to come up with something, "I want to go to Lily's bachelorette party, but i'm paranoid about being alone - well, at least away from you guys. I wouldn't want to drag Sitara to it, so I don't know. I guess I miss my old friends," She lied, surprised with herself that she was able to do it so easily.

"Look, if you want to go, we'll make it happen. Trust me once in while, yeah?" He said kindly, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Wrench," Emma simply said.

"Anything for you. Now let's get you back home before Sitara threatens to murder me," Wrench joked. He started to pull away, but Emma grabbed his hand and made him stay. She held his hand with both of hers.

"Take your mask off," She suddenly said, softly.

Wrench's heart sank. He was dreading this moment, but he tried not to let her see it. He forced a wink to display on his mask, "Isn't the line 'take your pants off'?" He joked.

Emma smirked over his wit, even though she was nervous, "Let's start with the mask first," She took a step forward.

Wrench stiffened and stopped her advance. The mask is the only logical first step, but to him, it was the last step - emotionally, at least. At first, it sounded like Emma would only like him further if she liked his face, but he knew he was getting paranoid and she didn't mean it that way. He shook his head, "I can't," He said barely above a whisper.

"Why?" She asked softly, desperately trying to suppress the urge to touch his face with her hand. He wanted to give her an answer that made sense. All of his answers didn't even make that much sense to him, he just knew he believed them.

He pulled his hand out of hers, instantly missing the feeling, and took a step back, "I just can't," He said. He turned and shoved his hands in his pockets, beginning his walk to the road.

Emma stood still for a second, internally scolding herself for asking. She knew the mask was important to him, but she hoped that she was somehow more important. What was she expecting? She wondered. It's not like she was his girlfriend. She power walked to catch up with him, "I keep saying and doing dumb things, Wrench-"

"No, it's really not you," Wrench quickly said, almost laughing. It was all him and his own insecurities.

"But I should have known. I'm sorry I asked," She said.

"Emma, it's fine. I promise," Wrench said.

But she wasn't convinced.

~~~Sitara's Apartment~~~

Sitara was sitting on her couch, watching TV. She was in pajamas, cuddled up with a blanket, enjoying a hot tea. She didn't even realize it was late and that Emma hadn't come back yet. But it was too early to celebrate. She heard the door unlock and seconds later slam shut. Sitara internally groaned as she took a sip of tea, seeing Emma walk up to the side of the couch, looking annoyed.

"I think i'm in love with Wrench," Emma said flatly with a hint of annoyance.

Sitara spit out her tea and immediately stood up, "Emma!"

Emma's eyes widened and she raised an eyebrow, "Just making sure you're paying attention," She said continuing her flat tone, but added a smirk.

"That's a mean fucking trick, Emma" Sitara glared, starting to clean up the tea she spit out.

Emma crossed her arms, "Yeah? Tell me about it," Emma teased. Sitara's played one too many tricks on her like that.

"Fine, we're even," Sitara said.

"I actually do think I like him though," Emma sighed, "Like... a lot."

Sitara stopped cleaning, "That's great! Did you tell him?"

"Hell no. And how is this great?!" Emma snapped, setting her backpack down and plopped down on the couch.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Sitara asked carefully. She wasn't sure if Wrench knew, or if Wrench even told Emma his own feelings.

"Because feeling any part of the love spectrum is the worst thing ever!" Emma groaned.

"That's a bit dramatic," Sitara laughed.

"It is! I get jealous. That's how i figured it out. My friend from college was flirting with him, and all I wanted to do was to tell her to back off," Emma muttered.

"That's just normal. Was he flirting back?" Sitara asked. She was hoping Emma would say no, so that she wouldn't have to go kick Wrench's ass for being a flirt.

"He was being nice to them. I don't know. It doesn't matter. I ruined it anyway. I asked him to take his mask off," Emma said with no emotion, like she was annoyed with herself.

"Oh, honey," Sitara said.

"Yeah. He said he can't," Emma said.

"There's a lot that goes along with that mask, Emma. Don't take it personal. It'll take time. A lot of time," Sitara explained softly.

"Has he ever taken it off for you?" Emma asked.

"I've seen him without it, yes," Sitara rephrased.

"And now i'm jealous," Emma said.

"But it's not how you think! He's like a brother. It was only a matter of time," Sitara said, "Don't add this to your list of things to stress out over," Emma inhaled deeply just to let out a long sigh. Sitara sighed, mimicking her, "Don't be all emo about it!" She said and lightly shoved her.

Emma smirked, "I'm going to a bachelorette party on Saturday. Want to come?" She asked. Emma didn't even want to go, but she suddenly wanted a distraction. A distraction from Wrench.

Sitara was taken aback by the sudden topic change, "Uh… Do I have to?"

"No, but it'll be fun," Emma said. For her.

Sitara scrunched up her face, "They rarely are."

"Well fine, I guess I'll have to see if someone else in DedSec would like to join me at Twist Nightclub," Emma said sighing.

"Twist? Well, that's an even easier 'NO'" Sitara said.

~~~Wrench's Garage~~~

Wrench stormed into his own garage kicking the first box he saw sitting on the ground, "FUCK!" he exclaimed while kicking it then grabbed the first object he saw, which happened to be Emma's prototype that he printed out. He shouted as he chucked it in the first direction he felt like facing. The gun hit a wall right behind Marcus and Josh, who were staring back at Wrench after ducking from the throw. Wrench wasn't expecting to see them there and instantly played it cool. He displayed smiling icons on his mask as he rested his hand on the nearby counter, putting all his weight on it, "Hey guys."

"Heyyy. We just, uh… forgot some stuff," Marcus explained, holding up a hard drive, unsure if he should even be speaking.

"Should we ask if he's okay?" Josh asked. He didn't see the point in asking. He clearly wasn't okay, but Josh heard it was polite to ask anyway.

Wrench put his hands up to stop them from talking, "Hey, don't worry about me!" He gestured to his right to Emma's leftovers, "Just mad that I ate this Chinese food earlier, and I'm already hungry again," He fake chuckled before grabbing the carton and forcefully threw it in the trashcan, where he thought all Chinese food belonged.

Marcus knew he didn't like Chinese food, which was the second red flag. First obviously being his sudden burst of anger when he walked in. He wasn't sure if he should prod him about it, but it could be fun to mess with his friend who was clearly trying to swallow his anger, "Trying to see if you like Chinese food suddenly?"

Wrench cringed, but the mask only went blank, "You know me… open minded," Wrench muttered, biting his tongue from ranting about the truth. Marcus and Josh had things to do, he'd rather not slow them down with his whining about Emma. He crossed his arms and leaned into the counter

Marcus and Josh grabbed everything else they needed and made their way to the door, "Sitara wants us to meet tomorrow morning," Josh said, accepting Josh's answer.

Wrench silently held up his hand giving them a thumbs up, something which he rarely does. He pulled his hand back to him, re-crossing his arms.

"You know… people don't normally throw guns around when they're angry about Chinese food," Marcus said lightly.

People also didn't wear masks to hide from themselves, but he didn't want to open that can of worms in front of Marcus at the moment, "It's like you don't even know me," Wrench joked.

Marcus laughed and walked out, "See you tomorrow, buddy. We'll get some real food!"

Wrench nodded, "Sounds good," He said and watched as they walked out, closing the door behind them. He sighed and slammed his fist against the side of the counter. He took a step forward and forcefully set his arms and forehead on the counter holding back any more violent outbursts. With a deep breath, he stood up straight and exhaled. Anymore pouting and he would have deemed himself a teenager. However his eyes glanced over to the bag that Emma left there, full of the random toys and gadgets she found for her future projects. He was torn between kicking it and going over to Sitara's to bring it to her. Instead, he decided to compromise and just hid it in a cabinet. As long as he didn't have to see it, he wouldn't be reminded of her, which now only led to bad thoughts. The more he had Emma around, the more he realized he couldn't be normal. He couldn't take his mask off, let alone have a normal relationship with someone. One that Emma deserves. Did Emma even want a normal relationship? She was a crazy chemist the way he was just… well, crazy. She didn't seem like the white picket fence type. He rolled his eyes, wondering why he was kidding himself. Everyone was the white picket fence type.


	7. 7 - Messenger

Sorry for making you wait! Thanks again to all the lovely comments/favorites/follows. I think I responded to them! I don't know, my sleep schedule it pretty bad, I may have dreamed it. I love you all! I wanted to post this a two nights ago, but I wanted time to rewrite a couple scenes. Hope you enjoy ;)

-Blink

* * *

~~Twist Nightclub, two days later~~~

Emma wasn't sure if she was trying very hard to avoid Wrench, or if he was trying to avoid her, but they haven't seen each other since he walked her to Sitara's. She worked on new ammunition that could work with the freeze gun, as well as continued to develop her hallucinogens. Sam wasn't anywhere to be seen, by Sitara's orders. Emma missed having someone to talk to, but wouldn't risk being around Sam. They realized Emma would be safe working in her lab alone, but Sitara, Marcus, or Ray would come by to escort her if she needed to leave.

But none of that concerned Emma when she arrived to her destination. It was arranged that she'd have Dedsec members hiding around the nightclub to be her bodyguard. None that she met, but she would trust them, anyway. She hoped.

She got out of her cab, readjusting her dark blue dress. She hadn't worn a dress in a long time, feeling slightly uncomfortable in it. Glancing over to her right, she noticed people already checking her out. Maybe it was a good dress choice, she thought. For a second, she thought what Wrench would think about the dress - if it would make him stop dead in his tracks. But she quickly forced that out of her thoughts and walked into the club.

Loud dance music, grinding bodies, and drunk people flailing around. It was everything she hated, but perhaps she needed that environment at that moment. After a minute of wandering around, she felt someone tackle her into a hug, "Emmaa!" A voice shrieked in her ear, shouting over the music. Emma looked over to see a very drunk Heather clinging to her, "So glad you made it!"

"Nice to see you!" She said, not sure if she meant it. Heather grabbed her hand and dragged her to a corner full of other women. She wasn't sure what anyone was saying, all she heard was drunk high pitched voices. It was somewhat secluded from the dance floor, so they didn't have to shout over each other, but the alcohol deafened everyone anyway.

"Emma!" Lily came up and smashed her with a hug, "Take a shot with me!" She yelled pulling her down. Emma could already tell this was going to be a terrible night, and she was loving it.

~~~Hackerspace~~~

Marcus' threats to Owen and Sam seem to either have gone unnoticed, or Owen really was that powerless. Marcus already relayed how his trip went to the gang. None of which were too pleased at Marcus for. It left Dedsec too open. However, nothing has happened from it, and Sam was not heard from since. The whole team sat around the table, enjoying their Saturday evening bullshitting about their last mission.

"The look on that tool's face was priceless," Marcus laughed. He hacked into another internet troll's room, successfully calling the cops on him. A taste of his own medicine. He loved it every time.

"You'd think they learn," Sitara said.

"Every dumbass kid in their mom's basement think they're better than the others," Ray said.

"Sounds like we need to spread Dedsec's word around again. Another car stunt?" Wrench asked with enthusiasm.

"We gotta mix it up!" Marcus said.

"Let's hijack a chopper!" Wrench said standing up, "I'm on controls next!"

Marcus laughed, "Man, sit down. You'll get your turn."

"You have all the fun, Marcus. Just making sure it's fair," Wrench offered, sitting back down.

Sitara checked her phone, "Speaking of fun… Emma went to a bachelorette party and she's drunk texting," She laughed.

Wrench straightened up, "Wait, she actually went?" He asked.

"Yeah, and you'd know if you talked to her," Sitara said.

"I even knew," Josh said.

"How the fuck did you know?" Wrench asked in disbelief.

Marcus and Ray starting laughing. Sitara was even stifling a laugh. Josh glanced over for a second, "I check in with her to see if she needs anything. It's not hard to say hello," Josh stated.

"Oh, man. Josh, mind giving our boy some dating tips?" Ray asked.

"Hey, Ray. I got a tip for you right here," Wrench casually raised his hand to flip Ray off.

"Yeah, maybe Emma could use that tip," Ray said taking a swig of his beer.

"Ew," Sitara grimaced.

"C'mon man," Wrench said defeated. He didn't like Ray being so suggestive when it came to Emma.

"Sorry, sorry. I'll watch what I say about your girlfriend, Josh," Ray said, causing Marcus to laugh. Ray joined him with his own hearty laugh. Wrench let his head drop to the side, displaying "at" sign icons, giving up.

Marcus looked over to see Josh typing on his laptop, "Man, what are you doing working? We're supposed to be chilling tonight," Marcus said.

"This is me…'chilling'," Josh said looking up. Marcus didn't say anything back, "I'm just keeping an eye on Emma."

Wrench immediately stood up from his seat to walk behind Josh to look at his laptop screen, "Is she okay?" He noticed her wearing the blue dress and laughing with her friends. He hasn't seen her in a few days and he suddenly realized how much he missed her.

Josh didn't like how close Wrench was looming over him and moved his seat over a bit, "She's fine," Josh said.

"Good looking out, Josh!" Sitara said.

Ray chugged down the rest of his beer and set it down on the table, "Well, if we're working anyway," Ray said and stood up, "I got something to show you kids."

"Guess chill day is over," Marcus said. "What you got?"

~~~Twist Nightclub~~~

Emma already had a few shots in her, all thanks to Heather's constant insisting. Emma stepped away from the girls' table so she wouldn't be pressured into drinking anymore. She looked around to see that more have gathered onto the dance floor. Mostly wasted people hoping to get lucky, she imagined. She didn't want to judge. If she had the courage to do so, she would try to go home with someone that night. But with a few shots in, anything could be a possibility. That's why they called alcohol "liquid" courage, after all. She caught someone at the bar looking at her. He didn't look away. Instead, he just smiled. Emma smiled back and walked up to him, trying not to stumble and look drunk, "Are you staring?" She asked with a coy look. His hair looked purple due to the nightclub's lighting, but she assumed he was blonde.

The stranger chuckled, "You caught me," He said, "Can I buy you a drink?"

"No, thank you. My friends made sure I reached my limit within the last half hour," Emma said, slightly slurring.

"What better place to let loose than a nightclub?" The stranger suggested.

"Yeah, well. Any more loose and I won't get to remember the rest of my night," Emma said.

The stranger laughed, "Who says this night's worth remembering?"

Emma eyed him, unintentionally flirting, "It's pretty good so far."

He chuckled, "Might have to agree," He flirted back, on purpose, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Bachelorette party. First time in a nightclub," She said casually and looked over to her friends 'woo'ing at the table. Emma mentally facepalmed.

The stranger laughed, "Neil, by the way," He said holding out his hand.

"Emelia," She offered her hand and her formal name.

"Classy name for a classy lady," Neil said. He took a sip of his drink, "Well, if you feel like ditching your friends, I got a VIP room upstairs," He said.

Emma took a second to look back at her friends again, who were just taking shots and falling over each other. She looked back to Neil, "Maybe for a minute."

~~~Unknown Warehouse~~~

Ray pulled up the garage door to reveal a man tied to a chair, passed out.

"What the fuck!" "Ray!" "What'd you do?!" was heard being cried in synch.

"Yeah, just a little something I put together," Ray walked up to the man tied up and slapped him in the face to try to wake up, "Rise and shine."

"Ray, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this, man," Marcus said walking up.

"Right? It's a bit much," Sitara agreed.

"Oh. Yeah. Totally," Wrench said sarcastically with his arms crossed, "Nope. I'm so into this right now."

"Who is he?" Sitara asked, ignoring Wrench.

The man slowly opened his eyes to see Ray standing over him. It took him a few moments, but once his vision came back to him, he went into a full on panic and tried to kick himself away from Ray, "Help!" He yelled.

"Remember what happened last time you caused a scene?" Ray asked, "I want you to introduce yourself to my friends here," Ray said gesturing to the Dedsec members. The tied up stranger started stammering. Ray sighed, "You got 5 seconds."

"I'm Carl Tanner!" He shrieked.

"And what does Carl Tanner do?" Ray asked. When he was too nervous to respond, Ray continued, "5…"

"I can't tell you man he'll kill me!" Carl yelled.

"What makes you think we won't?" Ray asked, "4…"

"I work for Cyb0rg!" He said quickly, earning surprised looks from everyone in the room, "I'm one of his messengers or stalkers, whatever. I've been following Emelia around for months tracking her every movements. I've been around when you never knew," He rushed out, eyes squinted shut.

Wrench uncrossed his arms and started marching toward Carl, "You son of a-"

Marcus held him back, "What does Cyb0rg want with her?" He asked Carl.

"What he always wants. To scare girls!" Carl said.

"That's it?" Sitara asked.

"I don't know, I just do what he asks and he pays me," Carl said, slowly calming down.

"Gonna have to do better than that," Marcus said, "What about all these dead woman's name that we found?"

Carl shook his head and whimpered, "It's a sick game to him. He harasses and tortures these girls until they break and kill themselves…" No one liked what he had to say.

"How are you okay with that?" Sitara asked, angrily.

"We all gotta make a living. Right, hacker?" Carl asked, maliciously.

"3-2-1!" Ray said quickly and reached down to break one of Carl's fingers, causing him to yell out in pain.

"Fuck, man!" He shouted.

"I warned you," Ray grinned.

"Emma was his favorite," Carl spat out through the pain, "I don't think he wants her dead like the others. But when she started teaming up with you guys, Cyb0rg made it personal and saw it as a way to take down Dedsec," Carl said.

"Where is he?" Marcus asked.

"I don't know, he moves around a lot," Carl said, and Ray sighed and walked up behind him to grab his fingers again. Carl started to shriek, "Underground! He's always underground! It's harder to find him that way."

"That means we may have found his base! It was just underground," Marcus said, referring to the warehouse from the other day.

"He has multiples. I only know where two are," Carl said.

"How many does he have?" Marcus asked.

Carl looked up to try to remember, "At least 10. I think."

Ray patted Carl on the head, "He's so cooperative," He said with a wide grin.

"Yeah, and I bet Cyb0rg's glad he hired you," Wrench joked.

Sitara walked up to Carl and looked down on him, "There's a reason Cyb0rg is threatened by Dedsec. And if I find out you're lying to us, you'll understand why," She threatened.

"Y-y-y-es ma'am," Carl whimpered.

"Ma'am?" Sitara asked.

"Uh, lady. Nononono, Miss! Ah, fuck I'm don't know!" Carl shrieked.

"Jesus Christ calm the fuck down before I kill you myself," Wrench said.

"I'm sorry!" Carl yelled.

"Stop apologizing!" Wrench yelled back.

"This can go back and forth all day," Marcus said putting his hand on Wrench's shoulder. Wrench walked back over to Josh who brought his laptop with him, still monitoring Emma. Marcus pulled a chair up and twisted it around to straddle it, facing Carl, "Tell me what you know," Marcus said with a grin.

While Marcus, Sitara, and Ray were continuing interrogating Carl, Wrench and Josh were peering over the laptop, "Wait is she…" Wrench started, seeing Emma walking up stairs, "Uhhh…. Hey Sitara?" He asked, but noticed she was still busy interrogating Carl, "Josh, get in there!"

"There aren't any cameras near by, I don't think I can," Josh said calmly.

"Some Dedsec follower is there right? Send the message," Wrench suggested.

"Sitara has the-" Josh began.

Wrench interrupted, "SITARA!"

Sitara groaned and turned around to Wrench, "WHAT?"

"Come here," He said normally, looking back at the screen.

Sitara walked up, "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Yeah, well, Emma's following a guy up into a room," Wrench said.

"So?" Sitara asked, annoyed that he interrupted him for that. Also because she knew that was part of Emma's plan for the night, "At least we know she's into blondes," She smirked ignoring Wrench's sudden curious expression on his mask.

"There's people there to spy on her right now," Carl spoke up, hoping that if he spilled information, he'd be spared at least one finger.

"You're not fucking with us just to let you go?" Marcus asked.

"No, I'm cooperating so you let me go!" Carl defended.

"Is one of them some blonde douchebag with a VIP suite upstairs?" Wrench asked.

"N-no, we're never supposed to talk or approach her," Carl said.

"There's people staring at her as she walked by." Josh said. He was flipping between two cameras.

"Fuck," Sitara said.

Wrench threw his hands up and folded them behind his head, not sure what to do, "I'm going over there," he said.

Before he could make a move, Sitara stopped him, "No you're not. I know you're worried, and so am I, but we have to think this through."

"Think what through? We all know Owen has eyes on her. And now she's got this fuckhead's eyes on her," Wrench argued.

"We all know you're just jealous. Calm your ass down," Ray said.

"I've had enough of you talking shit about me and Emma," Wrench said pointing at Ray.

"Waiiiit. You're Wrench? I heard about you from Sam," Carl laughed.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Wrench asked and everyone walked over to him, minus Josh.

Carl's face paled and started stuttering, "S-S-Sam mentioned her new boyfriend before... Is that not you?"

"HAH!" Ray quickly interjected, "He wishes."

Wrench let his arms drop to his sides and he sighed, "Okay, fine. Whatever. I am jealous. And it's all my fucking fault that it's not me she's walking to some dumb suite with. But right now, I'm worried about Owen getting her. Is that okay with you?"

Ray scratched his beard, no sign of a smirk or humor on his face, "Didn't think you'd actually say it."

"Yeah, so now everyone knows, right? Big news day for Dedsec! Can I go now?" Wrench asked impatiently, beginning to walk backwards. No one wanted to say that they've all known for a long time. He turned, glancing over at Josh's laptop for a second before walking out the door.

"You.. might not want to look," Josh said.

But Wrench did anyway, and from the camera angle Josh was able to get, he saw Neil's face covering Emma's, his arms around her, "He's dead," Wrench said and kicked the door open to storm out.

Everyone stood silent for a moment, thinking, "Marcus, go with Wrench," Sitara commanded, "Ray and I are gonna spend some more quality time with our new friend," She said grinning over to Carl.

"Yeah, got it," Marcus said and headed out, hoping he could catch up with Wrench fast enough. The last thing Marcus heard when he closed the door was Sitara's voice asking how Carl knew Sam.

~~~Twist Nightclub, second floor~~~

Emma didn't know how it happened. One minute she was walking upstairs, the next thing she knew Neil was leaning in. The kiss was so warm and welcoming. She missed having male attention like that. The brief relationship she had after Owen was a rebound and it lasted for as long as a rebound was expected to. It finally dawned on her that she was kissing this stranger she just met, and she pulled back, bring her arms back to her. His arm still lingered on her side slightly. Neil seemed friendly, but he didn't feel comfortable to her. Maybe it was the setting of a nightclub, or… Wrench, but she wanted to leave. So much for a distraction, she thought. The notion sobered her a little bit. Emma grinned wide, "Where's the restroom?" Emma asked with a fake drunk slur.

Neil chuckled, "This isn't the part where you use that line and ditch me?"

Emma fake giggled and pushed him back lightly, hoping he'd let go of her "They probably haven't even realized I left."

Neil smirked, totally falling for her drunk bit. Sleaze, Emma thought, "To the right," Neil said.

Emma stood up, carefully standing her ground as she could feel the alcohol affect her, but managing to sway enough to continue her act. She walked out of the VIP room to look to the right. Two men in suits were already staring at her when she walked out. They turned back to face each other after they made contact with Emma. She didn't think twice, but continued on to find the restroom, now walking normally. Once she passed the two men, they turned back to watch her walk into the restroom.

Opening the doors, she was greeted with a restroom lobby. A woman in a red dress was sitting on the couch, watching her as she walked in. Emma smiled as a greeting and walked in to do her business. The entire time she was in the restroom, she didn't hear anyone walk in or out. After a few minutes, she walked out of the stall. She washed her hands, ignoring the woman in the red dress' continuing gaze. The strange woman never let her gaze on Emma drop even when she made contact yet again on the way out of the door. When she walked out, she noticed the same two men who stared at her minutes ago, were looking at her again. These men weren't with Dedsec. She knew. Emma stood still for a second, feeling the floor beneath her move. Too much alcohol, she mentally groaned. Instead of walking back into the VIP room, she headed back downstairs, walking as quickly as possible. When she reached the bottom, she glanced back up noticing the same men were staring back at her once again. She quickly turned back ahead, causing her to wobble slightly. She shook her head, trying to sober up. With her head held high, she continued walking toward Heather and Lily's table. She could see them in the distance. But she still felt like she was being watched. Once again, she slowly peered back over to the stairs, but the men who were staring were no longer there. Her heart sank. Maybe she was being followed, she thought. She quickly looked around in the crowd, hoping she'd spot them.

After a split decision, she realized that staying in the nightclub was no longer a viable option. Heather was waving her arm to grab Emma's attention. Emma couldn't hear her, but she read her lips as "Emma!"

Ignoring her, she started walking through as many crowds of people as she could. She wanted to try to lose the men that were following her, hoping that they wouldn't catch up or she wouldn't run into them. She took a chance to glance behind her, only to run into someone who then grabbed her arms. Out of fear, she screamed but the loud music drowned it out. When she looked up, she saw Neil's face. He leaned in closer to her ear, "You didn't come back?"

Emma pulled herself out of Neil's grasp and ran right past him, heading for the exit.

~~~San Francisco Streets~~~

Wrench looked down at his phone, receiving a text message from Sitara: Emma really needs help. Hurry! "Any way you can go faster?" Wrench asked nervously, trying to remain calm.

Marcus was driving a car they legally obtained. Not that it was out of the ordinary, but it was a just cause for reaching Emma in time, "Almost there, don't worry," Marcus said.

"I'm not worrying," Wrench said unconvincingly.

"Right. So to ease your mind, plan is you go in, I stay out?" Marcus asked.

"I thought you were going in," Wrench said.

"I thought you wanted to beat that pretty boy up!" Marcus said, raising his pitch.

"Well, I did! But that was then. Emma's in danger, so we got bigger issues," Wrench said smoothly, "Plus, I hate night clubs. That music might actually make me bust some heads."

"If Emma ever asked you to one, would you go?" Marcus asked.

"FUCK no. Only because I know she hates them, too… well, usually," Wrench said. The club was getting closer and Marcus began to slow down.

Marcus laughed, "So I go in, you stay here?"

"Pleeaase," Wrench begged with exclamation marks displaying on his mask.

"Wait, is that Emma?" Marcus asked squinting. They both looked ahead, seeing Emma leaning against the all, hugging herself to keep herself warm. Marcus parked illegally, once again with no bother.

Wrench exited the car and started to run in her direction, "Emma!" Wrench said when he got close enough to get her attention without shouting. She looked up and he took a moment to notice how beautiful he thought she looked in her dress, but he had time to think about that later.

"Wrench," She breathed out, tears in her eyes. She propelled herself forward to hug Wrench, snaking her arms inside his vest. He wrapped an arm around her used his other arm to call Marcus over, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you," She said, her voice muffled in his shirt.

"Likewise. I'm glad you're okay," He said quietly only so that she could hear. Marcus caught up and took his jacket off to offer it to Emma. She slowly released Wrench from the hug and grabbed the jacket, thanking him and she put it on, "Those jerkoffs didn't touch you did they?" Wrench asked.

Emma shook her head then stopped, "Wait, how did you…Oh forget it. I know how…" Emma said. Someone hacked into the nightclub. Typical hacker move, she learned, "Either way, I'm fine."

"Let's get going before they realize you left, yeah?" Marcus suggested, not meaning to rush them.

A few steps on, and Heather's voice was heard shouting over to Emma, "There you are!" She said and ran up to the group.

"Shit," Emma cursed, "Heather, I'm sorry. I really have to go, I-"

"But it's still early! That guy you were talking to asked about youuu," Heather winked and then she noticed Wrench, "Oh you're here!" She squealed and grabbed his arm. He winced when she grabbed the injured one from a few days ago, but it healed up enough to where the pain wasn't unbearable.

"Ehh, go on, I'll deal with this," Wrench said, trying to distract and calm Heather down so that Emma could get away.

Emma frowned, but led Marcus guide her away from the nightclub, away from any possible danger, "You sure you're okay?" Marcus asked.

Emma nodded, "It was scary…Looks like I can't even hang out with some old friends without people harassing me. I'm not sure if it's Owen or not, but…" She trailed off.

"I don't want to scare you, but it was Owen," Marcus confirmed, "You handled yourself well in there."

Emma smiled, "Thanks…But for real, how did you guys know about the guys?"

"Josh was keeping an eye out for you the whole time apparently. We didn't know until he saw those dudes," Marcus explained.

"Aww. I'll have to thank him later," Emma said. She was relieved she had Josh on her side. Emma stopped walking and looked back over to Wrench, "Should we wait for…" She stopped when she saw Heather still holding on to him. He didn't seem like he was trying very hard to pull away from her. She scoffed.

Marcus looked at what she saw, "He doesn't look too happy," he chuckled.

"He doesn't look unhappy, Emma retorted.

"What do you want him to do, push her down?" Marcus asked sarcastically with a soft chuckle.

"Yes," Emma pouted. She didn't care if she was acting childish.

"Hey, he's the first one who suggested we come get you. Not that any of us disagreed, but he was out the door before we even fully knew what was happening," Marcus said defending his friend. He wasn't going to mention that his initial reason was because of Neil.

Emma wanted to believe him, but she couldn't help but think he was just being a good friend and lying for his sake. Then it dawned on her. Did they see her kissing Neil? "How much did you guys see?"

Marcus knew why she was asking, but pretended to be neutral, "There weren't many cameras in that case. Pretty much the dance floor, the bar, and the tables your friends were at."

She wasn't sure why, but she was relieved. She looked back again to Wrench and Heather. She was reaching up to his body now, holding onto his vest, getting a little too close to him. Emma then wished Wrench did see her kissing Neil. Marcus cleared his throat and she looked back at him, "Sorry…"

"You really don't have anything to worry about over there," Marcus said knowingly.

"Why would I be worried about anything?" Emma asked cooly, but on the inside she wanted to go smack Heather upside the head.

Marcus let out a soft chuckle, "Let's just get going. I got a car ready to take you home," Marcus suggested, resting his hand on Emma's upper back, guiding her. Emma nodded and once again they continued their walk.

Wrench finally escaped from Heather, who ran back inside. He started jogging back to catch up to Marcus and Emma and appeared next to Marcus, "Well that was the most annoying thing I've ever had to do!" He said whimsically, slightly out of breath.

Emma rolled her eyes, "Poor you gets all the attention," She muttered sarcastically. She didn't want to make a big deal about it, but it just slipped out. At least that's what she told herself.

"Oh yeah, getting asked out by a drunk woman is all I've ever wanted," Wrench responded back just as sarcastic, not recognizing Emma was serious.

Emma snapped her head up to look at him, "Wait, she asked you out?"

"Yeah, crazy, right?" He said. Emma didn't hear anything else that Wrench said after. She looked down the street, noticing the bus was soon pulling up. Wonderful timing, she thought, reminding herself to send thanks to the bus gods. "Pretty sure she named our firstborn, too. That or she wanted to watch that movie Annabelle with me? Idunno," Wrench joked.

"You know what? I'll take the bus," Emma said taking off Marcus' jacket to hand it to him, but he interrupted her as she was taking it off.

"N-no, it's yours for tonight. And don't be crazy, we got a car waiting right there," Marcus said.

"Thank you... Either way, thanks for the backup. I'll see you tomorrow," She said quickly and turned on her heel to walk up to the curb, waiting for the bus that was pulling up.

"What is she doing?" Wrench asked Marcus quietly.

Marcus wanted to tell him what Emma was upset about, but he couldn't hold Wrench's hand through everything."Just talk to her," Marcus said with a tap on the shoulder, "Peace!"

Wrench looked to see Emma staring hard at the bus that was pulling up and slowing down. He finally had the time to think back on how she looked that night, the moonlight adding to the affect. Emma normally had her hair down and off to one side, which he liked, but he admired how her hair looked like when it was up and he just wanted to tell her, "Emma, you look-"

"I can get home just fine by myself. You can go back and talk to Heather if you want," Emma said trying to sound neutral, but her emotions came through and sounded angrier than she intended.

Wrench was taken aback at first, not expecting the sudden outburst. But he composed himself quickly, "Wait…" Wrench's mask displayed a smile, "Are you jealous?" He asked in a teasing voice.

Emma forcefully groaned and she stepped onto the bus. He followed her on the bus, watching as she chose a seat next to the window, with the aisle seat already taken. There were many empty seats open. He knew she sat next to someone on purpose to avoid him. He went over to the middle aged woman sitting next to Emma, "Lady, mind switching seats?" He asked, annoyed, but still trying to be polite. Emma was seated with her arms crossed, but watched the scene go down glaring at Wrench.

"I was sitting here first!" The woman said with an attitude.

"Okay, let someone else take their turn," He said not even trying to hide his annoyance.

"There's other seats you know!" The woman said back.

"Then pick one," Wrench suggested in a fake calm voice.

"Wrench!" Emma hissed.

The woman scoffed and turned to Emma, "Good luck," She said as she grabbed her purse to stand up, "Asshole," She said forcefully and sat down in the next seat across the aisle.

Wrench rolled his eyes, displaying two dots on his mask, and sat down next to Emma, facing her, "After what happened in there, you're really thinking about riding a bus alone?" He asked.

"Well, you're here now, aren't you?" Emma asked, "That was really rude what you did just now."

"How else am I supposed to get you to let me talk?" He asked.

"Maybe she doesn't want to listen to you!" The woman's shrill voice called over.

Wrench had angry icons displaying on his mask from hearing the woman's voice, but ignored her, "Worry less about talking to me, and more about planning your first date with Heather?" Emma suggested, looking back out the window.

"What? You think I actually said yes?" Wrench asked.

"You obviously did!" The woman called back again.

Wrench took a quick breath and clenched his first, "oh my god, shut up," He said quietly to himself.

"What did you say!?" The woman exclaimed.

"Isaidshutup!" Wrench said quickly, turning to point at the annoying stranger.

"Okay, okay," Emma finally turned to Wrench, grabbing his outstretched arm and pulling it back so he wasn't pointing and causing a scene anymore. The stranger looked appalled at being yelled at, to which Emma let out a soft, "Sorry," to try to diffuse the situation. She turned back to Wrench, holding both of his hands, resting their hands on his thigh, "Are you crazy?" She asked.

"Are you seriously asking me that?" Wrench asked.

"Yeah, good point. You didn't say yes to Heather?" Emma asked. Everyone said yes to Heather. She had so many lovers in college. Then again, in retrospect, it was college. Everyone would say yes for a free one night stand.

"Of course not! I don't even fuckin' know her," Wrench said.

"That's the whole point of a first date!" Emma said.

"Well, I don't want to get to know her. No offense, I know she's your friend and all-"

"But she's so pretty and smart…" Emma said, "And she likes a lot of the same things as you."

But she wasn't Emma, Wrench thought, but of course not what he said, "Jesus Christ, did you want me to say yes?" He asked sarcastically.

Emma quickly let go of his hands and pulled them in her own lap, "Well, no…" She said, "You were just so nice to her at the toy store, I thought you'd be happy if she asked you out." Emma said awkwardly.

"I was just being nice because they were your friends. I don't give a shit about them!" Wrench said raising his pitch.

"Oh, big surprise!" The stranger called out one more time.

"Okay, seriously. Would. You. FUCKING-" Wrench said outstretching his arms and turning to the lady.

"Forget it, let's go," Emma quickly stood up and pulled Wrench up with her, and dragged them both to the end of the bus, where she waited for the next stop. She was still holding his hand as they were waiting. Wrench was glaring at the stranger the whole time they were waiting, "Ignore her," Emma said quietly.

"I can't help but feel like if I look away, she'll like... set me on fire or something," Wrench muttered quietly, two dashes through his mask, 'glaring' at the stranger.

"Well, she'll at least write about you in her stupid blog," Emma said. The bus stopped. Once the doors were open, she pulled Wrench out of the bus. Once they both landed on the sidewalk, she let go of his hand and started walking in the direction toward Sitara's house. She picked an early stop due to Wrench's battle with the random stranger, "You didn't have to cause a scene like that."

"I wouldn't have to if you'd just listen to me," Wrench said.

"There's always tomorrow, Wrench," Emma said.

"And let you think I was going out with her all night?" Wrench said. He shuddered at the thought. Heather was a loud woman. He didn't like that.

"Does it matter? You can do what you want with your life," Emma said, trying not to get any more upset over the thought.

"Well, clearly you're upset and that matters to me," Wrench said.

"Why the hell does that matter?" Emma asked.

He wanted to tell her the truth. He almost did due to the argument, but he stopped himself for he did, "C'mon, Emma. After everything, you're really going to ask that?" Wrench asked, being vague, "And you know what? You don't get to be mad at me for not doing anything wrong, while you're out there making out with random guys," Wrench spit out, instantly regretting it.

Emma stopped, Wrench stopped with her, afraid of what she was going to say, "You saw that?" She asked in the most calm voice possible. Marcus lied.

He was fucked, Wrench thought, "...Yeah. It wasn't to spy on you, I swear! We just wanted to make sure you were okay!"

"...And you're not okay with what you saw?" She asked calmly.

"Well, it's not that… Just," Wrench said, trying to think of the right way to word things, even if it was a lie, "You were drinking, and I didn't want him to take advantage of you," He said, proud of how easily it was to say it. It was partly true, at least.

"Neil was nice," She simply said. Wrench grimaced at the name. He wished he didn't know it, let alone have Emma know it.

"Is that all there was to it?" Emma asked carefully. She wanted him to say there was more.

"Just looking out for you. You mean a lot to me," Wrench said, withholding all the extra information he could have told her. Maybe that was his chance, he thought.

They stared at each other for a few moments, relishing in the peaceful tension between them, as opposed to the hostile one they were experiencing, "I was jealous," Emma confirmed, "You mean a lot to me, too, and the thought of someone - especially someone like Heather - taking away the time that I could be spending with you just made me angry."

"Em, listen," He said walking up closer to her, "I promise there's nothing for you to worry about. If I liked her, I'd be in there right now. But i'm not. I'm here with you." Wrench said. This was it. He thought. This is when he should tell her his feelings. But another second went by, causing another doubt. He'd have to take off his mask. Before he could even make a decision, a third voice spoke up and ended all conversation.

"There you are!" They heard behind them. Emma and Wrench both turned to look, but what they didn't expect, was a baseball bat smashing into the side of Wrench's head. Emma screamed and tried to help steady him, who fell back, leaning against a brick wall.

"Fuck," Wrench muttered as he pressed his hand to the side of his head. The impact hit his temple and cheek, protected only slightly by his mask. The right side of his goggles on his mask were cracked and he felt some of the pieces stabbing near his face. Liquid started dripping down his face that he could only assume was blood. His head was ringing, but he kept trying to focus on the fact that Emma was holding onto him, and that he had to stay focused to protect Emma from the attacker. Wrench's vision was obscured, but he looked up to see the attacker with Sam, slightly hiding his own face with his hood.

"Take your mask off! Let's see what you're trying to hide!" Sam shouted.

"Sam!" Emma shouted, looking up, "What are you doing?!" Emma asked with wide eyes, still holding onto Wrench.

"You can thank your pal Marcus for that," Sam said.

"Marcus," Wrench repeated involuntarily. He remembered that Marcus said he provoked Sam.

Emma stood in front of Wrench, despite Wrench's weak attempts to stop her, "Sam, what are you talking about?"

"Just sending a message, sweetheart," Sam said, "The first message is to get rid of this guy," He pointed his baseball bat at Wrench.

"So you do know Owen," Emma said.

Sam raised an eyebrow, "Wow, you actually figured it out."

"Yeah, it was obvious. Tell him to back off," Emma glared.

Sam smirked, "No can do. I got my orders. Now you can get out of the way, or I can mangle up your face up so you're as ugly as he is."

Wrench appreciated the small talk to recover slightly from the head blow. He slowly brought out the thunder ball, ready to strike. He quickly moved Emma to the side as he swung the thunderball hitting Sam in the face, causing him to yelp. He dropped the bat from the pain. "Run, Emma!" Wrench called out. He was going to swing again, but Sam managed to dodge by luck and counter it with a punch to Wrench's stomach. He doubled over, which gave Sam better leverage to grab his neck and slam him against the wall.

Sam leaned in to the side of his face, "Emma doesn't belong to you. Or me. She's Owen's property," He said right into Wrench's face.

"Fuck. You," Wrench almost growled. He would have spit at him if he could. Sam frowned and threw him to the side.

Emma came up to quickly grab the baseball and hit the back of Sam's head. She figured he'd go down after all the head trauma, but he apparently had other plans, "Emma?" He asked wincing. He grabbed the baseball bat from Emma, and used the movement to shove her to the ground, "You're so cute when you think you're helping."

Wrench took this opportunity to tackle him to the ground. He started punching Sam's face, who was already bloody and broken, only making it worse. She noticed Sam stopped fighting back moments ago. Emma crawled up to Wrench to wrap her hands over his arm, "Wrench, stop, you'll kill him," She said gently.

Wrench threw his last punch, making it harder than the last few hits. He was panting, out of breathe from the rage. He didn't look up at Emma, but she saw his mask was blank. She guessed it was too damaged to work properly, or he was too angry to display emotes. He crawled off of Sam, and helped Emma up, "Can you walk?" He asked. Emma nodded. Wrench went into Sam's pocket to find his phone. He dialed 911 and held it up to his ear, "Someone tried to kill my friend and I on the corner of Wilmette and Southland Drive. He's unconscious," He said into the phone and used all his remaining energy to throw it against the brick wall behind him. Wrench grabbed Emma's hand, "Come on," he said and they both walked as fast as Wrench could limp over to Sitara's apartment, which was a block away.

~~~Sitara's Apartment~~~

Wrench opened his eyes to see the bright light above him, wincing as the light shot pains through his head. He turned to his right and saw Sitara looming over him, slightly startling him, although he didn't have the energy to physically react to it, "Jesus," was all he could muster. He heard his own natural voice. He realized that he was no longer wearing his mask, inducing panic.

"Hey, relax," Sitara said gently, "Still trying to fix you up here." She was sitting on the coffee table, holding a cotton swab soaked in hydrogen peroxide. She leaned back in to continue applying it to the wounds on his face.

Wrench lazily reached his hand up to shove Sitara's arm away, "That shit hurts," He muttered, attempting to sit up.

"Yeah, well I bet a lot of shit hurts right now," Sitara said, Wrench groaning the entire time he was trying to sit up, "Lay back down," Sitara ordered, but Wrench didn't listen.

"How long was I out?" He asked, still wincing at the light, using his hand to rub the top of his head, and to fix his hood slightly.

Sitara got the hint and stood up to turn the light down, "Like a half hour," Sitara answered.

"Wait, you let me fall asleep? What if I had a concussion?" Wrench asked.

"Well, good thing you don't, right?" Sitara asked with a smile, "You could thank your mask for that, you know. Do you even remember walking in?" She asked. He passed out nearly the instant they walked inside. The adrenaline kept him walking until his body realized it was safe.

Wrench had his hand covering part of his face, unable to deal with the pounding ache in his head, "No," He said. Sitara walked back and handed him some painkillers with a glass of water, "Thanks," He muttered gladly accepting them. When he was done drinking the water, he handed the glass back to Sitara who set it back on the table. He leaned his head back on the couch, facing the ceiling, but closed his eyes.

"You got a lot of nasty scratches from your goggles breaking. You going to let me finish?" Sitara asked, holding up the cotton swab.

"Where is my mask?" He mumbled.

"Right here, but it's pretty much going to keep stabbing you. It's busted, i'm sorry," Sitara said.

"Just the goggles. I have more. Just in case…" Wrench said. The last time his mask was forcefully taken off, he made sure to make backups just in case. He didn't want Marcus or anyone endangering themselves like last time. God forbid Emma tried to go get it. Wait. Emma. His eyes snapped open, "Where's Emma?" He asked. Was she there? Did she see him without the mask? Sitara couldn't answer him fast enough.

"I made her go to the pharmacy to get some extra stuff so I could clean your wounds. Your secrets still safe," Sitara said with a smile. She respected Wrench enough to know that he'll take off his mask for her on his own terms.

Wrench let out a short chuckle, "Thanks, but you let her go by herself?" He asked.

"It's literally down stairs," Sitara said before he started overreacting. Her apartment was above a convenience store.

The door to her apartment opened, revealing Emma. Wrench started to panic. He leaned forward, hanging his head down and looked to the left to further avoid Emma's gaze. She could only see the back of his head, "Wrench, you're up!" She cheered before Sitara spoke up.

"Hey, Emma… you want to shower or something, right? Long night," Sitara suggested.

Emma eyed Sitara and frowned, but she saw Wrench's broken mask on the table behind her. She understood. She assumed that's why Sitara kept telling her to leave to get things, but she wished Sitara would have just told her upfront. Emma left the bag down by the couch. She wanted to hug Wrench and tell him it was okay, mask or no mask. But she knew he wouldn't be comfortable with it. Instead, she did what she was told and walked away from the living room toward the bathroom to take a shower, "You're not hurt, are you?" Wrench suddenly asked her. He couldn't just stay silent. Not after what happened.

Emma stopped and turned to look in his direction. It was so strange to hear his voice without the mask's voice changer affecting it, but she liked it. Really liked it. She smiled, "Thanks to you, I'm fine."

Wrench gave a half smile for a second, even though she couldn't see it. Emma turned back to the bathroom. Sitara waited for Emma to close the bathroom door, "Awww," Sitara mused.

Wrench slowly shook his head, "Keep your 'awww.' It's only a matter of time before I fuck it up again," He said.

"Then stop fucking it up," Sitara said.

"Thanks for the help," Wrench said sarcastically.

Sitara let out a laugh. "What'd you do?" She asked, relieved that the shower finally turned on. They didn't have to speak in hushed voices.

"Nothing," Wrench briefly explained the situation to Sitara, even though she knew half of it.

"You guys are basically already dating. Just make it happen," Sitara said.

Wrench scoffed, "Can you imagine how much more I would fuck it up if that were the case?" He asked. Sitara pressed the cotton swab to his face, "Ow!"

"It doesn't hurt that bad, you baby," Sitara said, "And you two just need to sit and have a loooong chat."

"Oh yeah and completely ruin any remaining chance I have," Wrench said.

"Wrench… that girl was able to tolerate you for a whole day, got jealous at the thought of you going out with someone else, and not to mention has been very patient and understanding about your mask. Take the hint," Sitara explained, putting emphasis on the last part.

"She made out with a guy," Wrench said flatly, "I got the hint."

"She was drunk," Sitara defended.

"Not that drunk," Wrench said.

"She was just having fun. I bet she doesn't even remember his name," Sitara said. It took a lot out of her not to tell Wrench the truth. That the make out buddy was just a distraction from him.

"Neil," Wrench answered almost immediately, earning an apologetic look from Sitara. He sighed leaning back into the couch, once again staring up at the ceiling, "Why am I even mad about that? We're not together," Wrench said, "I just feel like… every time Emma and I get closer, something happens to set us that much more apart."

"You're allowed to be mad, just understand her point of view, too. And no one said love was easy," Sitara said, "Or something. I don't know."

Wrench thought back when he first met Emma, how easy everything seemed. They small talked, they made jokes, but when he started making an effort to get closer to her, things kept popping up to stop it. He didn't believe in fate, but he couldn't help but think someone had it out for him to stop him and Emma from happening. But he loved being able to comfort her when she was upset, and the banter they shared when she was angry, the dumb smiles they would share when they made up. As he was staring up at the ceiling, it dawned on him on how ridiculous it all was, "Why am I even telling you all this?" He asked raising his hands up to cover his face.

"Awww, the Wrench has feelings," Sitara mocked.

"However unstable they may be!" Wrench said outstretching his arms out, acting slightly dramatic.

"We can blame it on the concussion if you want," Sitara suggested.

"You said I didn't have one!" Wrench said raising his voice as much as possible.

"Well, you did take a pretty serious blow to the head," Sitara said.

"Eh," Wrench brushed it off, "I've had worse."

"I don't know if that's optimistic or just sad," Sitara said with a smirk, trying to keep the mood light.

"Funny works," Wrench said bringing his hands down. Sitara chuckled. The shower was heard shutting off. Wrench sat back up, "What do I do?" He asked in a hushed tone.

"About what?" Sitara asked.

"About her!" Wrench said gesturing his hand to the bathroom.

Sitara thought for a moment, "What do you think you should do?"

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be asking!" Wrench said still trying to maintain a hushed voice so Emma wouldn't hear.

Sitara rolled her eyes when Wrench didn't play along, "What would you normally do?" She deadpanned.

"Run out the door?" Wrench asked.

Sitara gave him a curious look, "You'd really run out the door…?" She said more than asked.

"Hey, you asked me!" Wrench said.

"I'm expecting a little more than -" Sitara said, but the sound of the bathroom door opening and Emma emerging left them both silent. Emma seemed to take her sweet time getting across the hall to her bedroom. Once she made it and closed the door behind her, Sitara continued, "- you just running out the door like some dork."

"Sitara, remember," Wrench began and pointed at himself, "I fuck things up."

"Okay, so do the opposite of what you'd normally do. All the time," Sitara suggested with a slight awkward smile.

"So you want me to stay and… what… talk?" Wrench asked.

"Oh my god you're turning into Casanova!" Sitara said and stood up.

Wrench squinted his eyes at Sitara, thinking about her proposition, "Sounds nothing like me," He began and paused, "It's perfect."

"Then go!" Sitara encouraged.

"I don't know. You set the bar pretty high with the Casanova comment. Now i'm feeling all nervous and shit," Wrench said.

"Already backing down. Wow, Wrench. Didn't know you were a quitter," She said.

"You know i'm not afraid to be a little bitch sometimes," Wrench said letting a short laugh escape.

"Fine. Be the bitch. Doesn't bother me, and I'm sure it doesn't bother Emma, right?" She asked aggressively. She was tired of Wrench not taking a step forward. At least he had a reason for flaking out that night, but Sitara wished he'd take the opportunity that was dangling in front of his face. She started walking to her own bedroom.

"Aw, c'mon," Wrench said defeatedly.

Sitara put her hand to her mouth, "Biiiiiiiiitch," She drawled out quietly making Wrench roll his eyes.

Emma finished brushing her hair. She sat on the window sill, ignoring the cold air making it's way through the window. She just needed something to look at that wouldn't make her think about the night. She regretted going out. It wasn't worth it. She thought about Neil and wondered why she felt attracted to him even a little bit. She wasn't, he was just… there. However, she was happy about her and Wrench slightly making up. In retrospect maybe she was overreacting about Heather.

She heard a knock on her door followed by the sound of it opening. Emma looked over to see Sitara enter with a soft smile, "You okay?" She asked.

Emma nodded, "Better. Thanks."

"Do you need anything before I head to bed?" Sitara asked.

Emma wanted to talk to her. Girl-to-talk. But she didn't want to inconvenience her if she was trying to go to sleep. Emma smiled and quickly shook her head, "I'm alright," She lied.

Sitara winked, "Night," She said and closed the door and left.

Emma stared at the door a few moments after she left, wishing she'd come back in. Emma brought her knees to her chest, and leaned her head against the window, still not minding the cold. It was what she needed, she thought. She heard the door open again and smiled. Sitara knew Emma enough to know when something was bothering her, even without saying it. She was just going to let everything spill out and let Sitara give her genius advice, "Why doesn't he want me to-" Emma asked and turned her head to the door. But Sitara wasn't there. Wrench was and it made her heart flip. He stood without his mask or his vest on, hands digging slightly in his pockets. He looked nervous, he couldn't even make eye contact with her for more than a second at a time.

"Hey," He muttered quietly, "Um…" He trailed off. Emma studied his face. He looked so normal, she thought. Minus the cuts and bruises from the recent injury. What was he trying to hide, she wondered. She noticed a large red mark on his left eyebrow. The distance between them was too far to fully see what it was, but she assumed it was from the brawl. But he got hit on the right side of his face, not the left. It still concerned her. But he kept his face turned to the lower left part of the room, seemingly to prevent her from seeing the mark. Maybe he's always lived with it. His voice speaking again knocked her out of her trance, "I just… Well, I couldn't leave without saying anything…" He struggled to form sentences. He practiced what he was going to say to her and it all left his head, "Or… with the way things left off," He pressed on. Emma didn't really know what he was saying, but she was mesmerized by him speaking. Wrench was there, but it was a new Wrench. The same Wrench, the same voice, but… organic, she thought. "Anyway, I'm sorry," He said and turned to walk out.

It was only when the door closed that she really realized he left.

Wrench closed the door behind him and he exhaled. He didn't even know what he was saying, but he was nervous. She saw him. She didn't say anything. Did she hate him now? He wondered. Before he could start wallowing in his own self hatred, the door to Emma's room opened. He heard it, but he didn't enough have enough time to turn around before Emma threw her arms around Wrench, hugging him from behind. She loved not worrying about the spikes. She was smiling into his back.

Wrench wasn't sure how to handle it. Did that mean she was okay with being in front of the Wrench that he didn't even like looking back at? Of course, she didn't have the memories he did when he looked back. He assumed he was just being paranoid, but he felt his bad history was written all over his face.

Emma slowly let go of him and let him turn around to look at her. She held his hand with both of hers and smiled, "See you tomorrow?" She asked.

Wrench let the corner of his mouth twitch into a smile, "See you tomorrow," He confirmed. That was all she needed to say. To let him know that they're okay.

She walked backwards, letting their hands slowly separate, "Good night," She said smiling with a slight blush.

"Goodnight," He muttered quietly back as she closed the door to her bedroom. His eyes lingered on the closed door for a few seconds longer. Part of him wanted to go in there, but he thought about what Sitara said. Just do the opposite of what you'd normally do and he was amused that it was actually sound advice. He let a real smile form on his face, however small it may be. At that moment, he didn't need the mask to tell the world how he felt.


	8. 8 - Rumors

Sorry for the wait! Next chapter will be out soon. I have a lot in store for the next few chapters ;D Hope you enjoy!

Thanks again for the reviews/faves/follows!

-Blink

* * *

~~~Emma's Lab~~~

Today was the day Emma was going to present her finished products to Dedsec. She was nervous. Not in her own ability, she knew everything was exactly how she wanted it. She was nervous that they wouldn't need or use it. It was all a learning experience, anyway. The more she experimented with solutions and formulas, the better off she would be in the long run… at least that's what she said in case they didn't like what she had to offer.

Her thoughts were interrupted at the sound of the door opening. She felt even more nervous than she thought, but turned to see Wrench walk in. She relaxed and exhaled, "Oh, it's only you," She said.

Wench feigned offense, "Sorry to disappoint," He said pretending to leave.

Emma chuckled, "No, please stay!" She rushed, "I'm just really nervous."

He knew she would be, which is why he showed up earlier. To hopefully ease the pressure, "You're just being paranoid. You know they'll love it all!"

"You don't even know what all I've made!" She argued.

"What, do you want me to not be supportive?" Wrench asked sarcastically.

"N-no… I'm sorry, I'm being difficult again," Emma groaned.

Wrench tapped the bottom of Emma's chin to make her look back up, but she was slightly pouting. Wrench smirked, even though she couldn't see it, "How about after you deal with this, we just hang out and watch movies? Sitara's, Hackerspace… wherever," He suggested.

Emma stopped pouting, "Do I get to pick the movies?" She asked.

Wrench crossed his arms, and pretended to think about it, "Half, but I control the remote."

"Deal. What about snacks and stuff?" Emma asked.

"That's all you. I'll eat anything," Wrench said. Emma glared, jealous that he could in fact eat anything, "What?"

"How are you not 300 pounds?!" She asked seriously.

"Oh come on, don't act like _you_ are!" Wrench said back.

"Oh no, did we interrupt something?" Marcus asked, out of nowhere. Emma and Wrench both looked over to the doorway to see everyone else standing there - Marcus, Sitara, Ray, and Josh.

Sitara laughed and walked in, "Wrench, did you call Emma fat or something?"

"No!" Wrench said immediately.

Marcus put his arm over Wrench's shoulders, ignoring the spikes, "You know when she asks if she looks fat in that lab coat, you don't even waste a _second -_ You say NO," Marcus lectured.

Wrench displayed two dashes through his mask as he listened, and pushed Marcus' arm off of him, "Emma, don't you got some bombs to show off or something?" Wrench asked, crossing his arms and leaned against a desk. He didn't want the attention on him all of a sudden.

"You know, Josh wouldn't have called her fat," Ray chuckled, looking over at Wrench.

"Because she isn't," Josh said casually, proving Ray's point.

Emma laughed, "Guys, I started it, leave poor Wrench alone," She said playfully. Wrench extended his hand out toward her, thanking her for the back-up.

"Emma, you don't have to defend him," Sitara joked.

"No, really!" Emma said starting to get serious. She didn't want Wrench feeling uncomfortable or angry at something she started, "It's not what it sounded like."

Sitara waved her off, "Alright, alright, get on with the show already - we got an ex hacker to track down?"

Emma rolled her eyes and walked over to the other side of her center lab table, across from everyone else. She glanced over at Wrench hoping he wouldn't look mad. To her relief, he had smiling icons on his mask. She smiled and blushed, about to speak.

"For Christ's sake, even across the room," Ray muttered at first, "Can you two stop fli-?!" Ray started but Marcus elbowed him, interrupting him. They were all thinking the same thing, but no one else wanted to say anything and make them uncomfortable. Marcus, for Wrench's sake. Sitara, for Emma's sake.

Emma stood on one side of her lab table, and everyone else stood on the opposite side, letting Emma demonstrate what she's been working on. She had the one Freeze Gun that she renamed the "Capsule Gun", including Ice, smoke, sleep, and hallucinogen capsules which she renamed "panic gas" due to the sensory effects. She hoped that Wrench and herself would be able to remake more capsule guns for the rest of the crew. Along with the capsules, she offered tiny explosive chemicals that resemble the "bang snap" fireworks. Available in smoke, sleep, panic, and poison.

"Poison?!" Sitara called out.

Emma laughed, "Relax, it's a low dose. Might make someone queasy or have some bowel issues, but no one's going to die from it."

"How are you so sure?" Marcus asked.

"I've studied chemistry, Marcus. I know what can harm a person in what ways," She said whimsically.

"What if we used… say, 3 or 4?" Wrench asked.

"I told you one would make someone feel ill. I'm not responsible for your decisions," Emma said with her head held high, eventually smirking.

"Oooohhhh you're evil," Wrench responded playfully, with dashes across his mask.

"So keep the poison away from Wrench, yeah?" Sitara suggested, earning a glare from Wrench, to which Sitara shrugged off.

Emma grabbed another box, opening it, "The real versions aside are all colorless and odorless. I made some extra low potency smoke bombs that you can practice if you want. To give you an idea of the radius."

Marcus and Ray were quick to grab them and start throwing them in the lab. Josh groaned, and Sitara piped up, "Not in here!"

"Come on, Josh! Give it a shot!" Marcus said calling Josh over, who begrudgingly joined.

Wrench would have joined Marcus and Ray if he weren't so excited to talk to Emma. He walked up to her, "See? They already love it."

Emma shrugged, "They just like the noise."

"Anyone can buy regular bang snaps, Em. These are special!" Wrench said with a smile on his mask.

Emma looked over and smiled with him, yet she felt something was missing now. She'd seen his real face and now the mask was just a cover. Wrench would always be Wrench to her, no matter if he wore his mask or not, but she wished he'd just keep it off for her. Perhaps it was selfish, she thought. She nodded, "You're going to help me make more capsule guns, too, right? Can't share one between all of you."

"You got it," Wrench assured.

Ray called over, "I have to say, kiddo… you really proved yourself with these. Nice going," He said and joined them.

Emma smiled, feeling proud, "Thank you, Ray," They may not have gotten along all the time, but she appreciated his kind words.

Ray nodded, "Now that we're all here, should we brainstorm some future plans?" He asked looking at everyone.

"Can't we just relax and play around with our new toys?" Wrench asked picking up the capsule gun and aiming it.

"We'll have time for that later," Ray said grabbing the gun and setting it down on the table, receiving a glare from Wrench, "We got a lot of information to share, and some new goodies to hopefully give us an advantage."

"Not a bad idea. You know how many distractions I can cause with these?" Marcus asked.

"Maybe we should be at the hackerspace for all this?" Josh suggested when he strolled up. He had his laptop there. It would make him more comfortable.

Ray turned to Emma, "You got any beer here?"

"Um… no, sorry," She was caught off guard.

"Then yes! To the hackerspace we go!" Ray said and headed out.

"Not so fast," Wrench said picking up a 6-pack of beer, "I figured you'd give Emma a hard time so I brought some to shut you up," Wrench handed him a beer. Emma didn't even realize he brought it in, "Sorry, Josh," Wrench said.

Ray grabbed it from Wrench, "Good thinking."

Sitara rubbed Josh's back for a second, comforting him, "We good then?" Marcus asked.

Since Emma wasn't around the day before, and Marcus and Wrench left early, Sitara relayed the information Carl gave to her, Ray, and Josh. It was time everyone was finally on the same page to try to take something down. With Emma's new contributions to the team, they hoped they now had an advantage to infiltrate a base if he had one. There was still a chance for more information, anyway. Carl hoped he would get out of Ray's custody after he fessed up all he knew. No such luck. Sitara sighed, "He said Sam's known Owen for a while. But Sam joined Dedsec officially a little over a year ago, which is around the time Owen left," Sitara explained.

"So it was always a part of Sam's plan?" Marcus asked.

"I think Sam was there originally just to spy on us. Obviously no one knew anything about Emma at the time," Ray said.

"Well, I did," Sitara said defending her friendship with Emma. They weren't best friends, but they knew each other and got along, "But she had nothing to do with us at the time, no."

Marcus turned to Emma, "Have you met anyone else in Dedsec?"

Emma shook her head, "Not knowing if they were Dedsec or not. Owen just introduced to me people he said were friends and coworkers."

"Chances are they were all from Dedsec," Ray said.

"Which means there are more people that know you," Wrench said nervously. He didn't like the idea of Emma being that wide of a target.

"And a bigger chance that those that were friends with Owen work for him now, not with us," Sitara said.

"I tried to find old chat logs that included him," Josh began, "But he deleted everything that his name touched. I've been trying to recover it, but no luck. Yet."

"We'll have to keep trying. We can do it," Ray said confidently. He's done it before.

"We have eyes on Sam?" Marcus asked.

"Hopefully behind bars," Wrench said with disdain, "He jumped Emma and I last night."

"What?!" Marcus asked concerned.

"He said he was just sending a message from what you told him at that biker bar," Wrench said. He wasn't blaming Marcus, just stating.

Marcus looked apologetic at both Wrench and Emma, "Shit, man… I didn't-"

"No, I wasn't blaming you. We're both fine, don't worry about, man," Wrench smiled through his mask and held his fist up and Marcus responded with a side fist bump.

Emma smiled at Marcus, letting him know she wasn't blaming him either, "Hopefully he'll be in jail for a while…" She trailed off.

"Jail's only going to do so much until Owen busts him out," Ray said.

"Sam's a disgrace in Owen's eyes now," Emma said, "A failure."

Everyone looked at Emma, "How do you know?" Marcus asked.

She looked down, playing with her hands, "There were many times when he said a subordinate failed him and he fired them. I don't know how much he was telling the truth, but going by that, he's not very forgiving." Emma explained, not sure how helpful her information was.

Sitara nodded, "That's a good sign!"

"But what's the plan right now?" Marcus asked, receiving no immediate response.

Emma furrowed her brows. It was a dead end. She knew it. Owen was too smart. Carl only knew so much. Who knew how long it'd take to restore any old information that Owen deleted. Wrench looked at her, wanting to comfort her, just not in front of everyone else. He wanted to say anything, give any suggestion to try to help, "We uh… blow them up!" He said.

Everyone looked at him, "Blow them up?" Ray asked.

Wrench nodded going along with the plan that he wasn't even sure he was confident in, "His base is under one of those warehouses, right? We just blow them all up! Either we get him, or flush him out. It's a win-win for us," Wrench explained, feeling better about it as he went along.

"Way to keep the plan small scale," Sitara said sarcastically.

"What? It'd work, wouldn't it?" Wrench asked.

"We're not terrorists," Ray said.

"But we're basically dealing with one!" Wrench defended. Emma was still looking at the floor, but she lightly put her hand on his arm to try to calm him down.

"Dedsec _will not_ stoop to his level," Sitara argued.

"Stooping to his level would involve stalking one of his own and "sending messages" with _baseball bats_." Wrench said using air quotes, both with his hands and with his mask.

"That's it!" Marcus said out loud, "We talk to him."

Sitara gave him a strange look and crossed her arms, "Great plan, Marcus! If we knew where to find him!"

"No, not Owen," Marcus said, "Sam."

"In jail?" Sitara asked, raising an eyebrow.

Marcus nodded, "If he's still there," He suggested, "We give him an incentive to work with us. It's obvious he's afraid of Owen," Marcus thought back to the last encounter at the tavern.

"And who do you suggest go talk to him?" Ray asked.

Marcus was hesitant, but he looked over to Emma, who was looking back at him. She turned to everyone else and noticed everyone but Wrench was staring at her. Her eyes went wide, "ME?" She asked.

Wrench looked back between Marcus and Emma, "HER?"

"Well, not alone," Marcus said, taking a step closer to Emma.

"I don't know… What would I even say?" Emma asked.

"You know…" Ray began, rubbing his chin, "This is actually a really good idea… Emma knows Owen better than all of us, to a certain extent."

"Oh, _now_ you believe me?!" She asked not wanting to panic. Ray chuckled and shrugged.

"If we're going to do this, we should hurry," Josh said.

"Yeah, Josh is right. Owen could still bust him out any minute," Marcus said.

"Wait, guys… I don't know about this," Emma said quietly, mostly due to nerves.

Sitara looked apologetically at her, "They do have a point, hun."

"And we'll give you an earpiece," Marcus offered, "You can be our voice."

Sitara turned to Marcus, "Well, what do _we_ ask?" Sitara asked.

As Marcus, Sitara, Ray and Josh were spitballing ideas, Wrench turned to Emma, "Are you okay with this?"

Emma looked up at him, looking worried, "I always said I wanted to help… right?" Emma said forcing a smile.

"Didn't really answer my question," He said softly. Wrench could tell it was a fake smile, but he joined her with his own lit up smile anyway. She looked down and let her smile drop. Wrench responded by swinging his arm around her shoulders, "Nah, you'll do great. We'll be right there with you."

Wrench's phone made a noise, interrupting the moment. He pulled it out of his pocket. Emma didn't mean to, but she glanced over to see the message: _Scarlett sent a new photo._ Her face paled and she looked straight ahead. Nude photo? She instantly thought, and mentally smacked herself for thinking that. Soon enough Marcus and Sitara's phones also made a noise. Emma was hoping it was just a group text. Dedsec business, she thought.

"Speaking of sending a message... Some Blume employee is out of town until Wednesday," Sitara read her message, "You know what that means!"

Marcus checked his phone, "Dedsec crashing house party!" Marcus cheered while Wrench sang it at the same time.

"Feels kind of weird it's on a Sunday, though," Marcus said.

"Wait, it's tonight?" Wrench asked looking at the photo again.

"Like we got anywhere to be Monday morning," Sitara said back, Marcus chuckling with an agreement. Wrench put his phone back in his pocket and pulled his arm off of Emma, but still standing close to her, which she welcomed.

"Feels like it's been awhile," Marcus said, "Rodney set up the last one I think a month ago?" Marcus asked.

"That or we didn't get invited," Sitara said, knowing it's not true.

"I'm not going," Josh simply said.

"What?" Marcus squeaked, "Why not?" He asked and turned to Sitara who was quickly, yet subtly shaking her head no. He then remembered someone was passing out drugs and Josh got a little too affected by it last time, "Ohhhh…" He trailed off.

Ray cleared his throat, "I'm really happy for you hooligans trashing some rich CEO's house, but uh… We got some business to take care of first?" He suggested.

"Alright, alright," Marcus said with his pitch higher than usual, telling Ray to calm down, "We're just planning a celebration is all."

"Well, let's focus on this now, and maybe you'll even have a bigger reason to celebrate," Ray suggested.

"Good point," Sitara put her phone in her pocket, "You ready?"

Emma was hesitant, but nodded, "I guess so…"

~~~San Francisco County Jail~~~

Emma walked in nervously. She knew she had the backup she needed. She wore an earpiece, covered by her hair, so the rest of her team could listen and communicate with her as she talked to Sam. An officer pointed to a cubby with the number 4 above it. She smiled thanking them and sat down, waiting patiently for Sam. He sat down and plopped down in the seat, staring back at Emma. She slowly reached for the phone, keeping her eyes on him the whole time. She brought the phone up to her ear and waited for him to do the same. Sam grabbed the phone and put it to his ear quicker than she was expecting, almost startling her.

"H-hey…" Emma stuttered. He didn't greet her back, "Is this the first time you weren't bugged?" She asked timidly, "With a mic I mean," She elaborated for an unknown reason.

"Probably," Sam said.

"Did you know?" Emma asked.

"That I was bugged? Oh, he made it very clear," Sam answered.

"Why did you listen to him?" She asked.

"What kind of question is that?" He asked.

"The kind that I want an answer to," She retorted back with an attitude.

Sam chuckled, "Emma with an attitude is new," Sam said. Emma stared at him, waiting for him to respond, "I don't know, why do you listen to Dedsec?"

"They're my friends," Emma said. Sam smiled signaling that was his answer, too, "I have a hard time believing that friendship is a valid justification for committing crimes, and torturing and stalking women," Emma said careful not to speak too loudly.

"Yeah, well… It's all I got for you, sweetheart," Sam said and hung up forcefully. He stood up and walked back, letting the guards lead him back to his cell.

"Sam, wait!" Emma tried calling out, but her words were unheard. She cursed as she hung up her own phone. She stood up and walked out of the lobby, and out of the jail, meeting up with Wrench and Marcus, who were outside waiting for her, "He hung up on me," She said.

"Yeah, we heard…" Marcus said defeated.

"I'm sorry…" Emma said, looking at the ground below her.

"Don't be sorry. It was worth a shot, right?" Wrench asked reassuring her.

"No, it was a really good plan. I just couldn't do it…" Emma said, "I got nervous and he just…"

"He hung up before you. You tried, alright? We can try again," Marcus said.

Emma nodded. "There's nothing else anyone could have done or said," Wrench said with smiling icons on his mask. Emma smiled up at him, but still couldn't get the feeling that she had failed a mission out of her head.

Sitara ran up, "How did it go?" She asked.

"Not good. We'll have to come back," Marcus explained.

"Ah… bummer," Sitara said, "Sorry we're putting you through this."

Emma nodded, "It's okay. I _want_ to help." She felt more confident now that it was over. She wanted to go back in there and yell at Sam for hanging up on her. Among other things.

"Emma, ready to head back?" Sitara asked.

"I can take her back, i'm not going to the party," Wrench said.

Emma piped up and looked at Wrench, "What? Why not?"

Wrench looked back at her, question marks on his mask, "I made plans with you."

"Yeah, but we can always watch movies. Seems like these parties don't happen too often," Emma explained. They didn't notice, but Sitara pulled Marcus away quietly and they already started walking towards their destination.

"Well, yeah but-" Wrench started.

"No, buts!" Emma interrupted, "Just go, and if you get bored, I'll be up," She reasoned.

Wrench crossed his arms and thought about it, "I'll go for an hour," Wrench said.

"You know you'll be there for an hour and dread coming to watch dumb movies with me," Emma joked.

"Hey! The rest of Predator is on the list and you do _not_ call that a dumb movie," Wrench said.

Emma laughed, "Well, maybe you can prove it… _After_ you go enjoy your party," She said and started walking in the direction of Sitara's apartment, seeing her and Marcus off in the distance. Wrench followed.

~~~Dedsec Party~~~

A couple hours in, and everyone was feeling the party. Graffiti already decorated the walls, thanks to Sitara and other fellow artists. Marcus and Wrench were in the living room with other members and followers, a little more than buzzed.

A fellow Dedsec member was discussing with Marcus and Wrench a recent hack he executed in the Blume employees emails and all the secrets he found. Including having a mail order bride at 28 years old, two girlfriends, a running investigation of murdering a third (that has been protected by Blume), and a son who has been part of a human trafficking scandal.

"Man, how does Blume find these people?!" Marcus slurred, "Meanwhile people like us get time for jaywalking!"

"Just makes it that much sweeter when we serve justice!" Wrench cheered, "You see the hack Bullseye pulled on Haum's email servers? They're trying to do the same thing with their robots after we destroyed it!"

Marcus let out a loud single laugh, "They don't know we still have access to their shit. We'll keep shutting them down!"

"Marcus you gotta let me handle it next time. You seriously have all the fun," Wrench said.

"You tell Emma you-know-what and we have a deal," Marcus said taking a swig from his beer bottle.

Wrench's mask blanked and he dropped his arms to his side, "That's not faaaair," He whined. He was spilling beer, earning some angry remarks from people around him. He shrugged it off, "Oh, what are you worried about? The carpet?" Wrench asked sarcastically, outstretching his arm. He underestimated his balance, because his sudden movement caused him to sway slightly.

A women with a pastel blue hair cut into a long bob with heavy bangs strolled up next to Wrench, tapping him on the shoulder. He turned and immediately recognized the woman known as Scarlett21 on the Dedsec IRC. This wasn't their first meeting, "Thought you could ignore me?" She said, still smirking.

"Oh, hey Scarlett," He said insincerely, "Alright, well, see ya!" He raised a beer bottle and started to leave.

Scarlett took a step to the side, blocking his path, "You in a hurry?" She asked.

Wrench sighed, displaying two dashes on his mask, "No, I just don't really feel like small talking with you," He said slightly slurring.

Scarlett tilted her head, deflecting his harsh words, "Ouch," She said sarcastically.

"Do you mind?" He asked, hoping she'd move.

"I do. Let's catch up," Scarlett said taking a step closer to him and ran her hand up his arm.

Wrench pulled back, "I have a girlfriend!" He spit out awkwardly. He instantly regretted saying that, especially when Marcus gave him a questionable look.

Scarlett let out a laugh, "Well, jeez, if you don't want to talk to me, just say so. Don't have to lie to me."

"Who says I'm lying?" Wrench asked, almost offended she didn't believe him.

"You in a relationship? Come on, we both know you better than that," Scarlett said.

"No, you don't," He said and walked off in any direction that Scarlett wasn't in. just wanted to get away from her.

Marcus looked between Wrench walked off and Scarlett standing there smirking, "Uh… Nice to meet you," He said and started walking off, "Oh, and his girlfriend is great," He added. He didn't want to give names just in case. Scarlett scrunched her face at him.

Wrench eventually stopped advancing when he reached the other room, Marcus joining him, "You and her got some history?" He asked.

"Nothing worth mentioning," Wrench put a smile on his mask as he held his beer bottle out, waiting to Marcus to do the same.

Just as he did, Scarlett marched back up stand between them, "You want news on Cyb0rg or not?" Scarlett asked straight faced and angry. Wrench let his mask blank along with his attention. He wanted nothing to do with Scarlett.

"You know something?" Marcus asked.

Scarlett turned to him, "I wasn't talking to you," Marcus made a face and backed up a little, letting them talk. Wrench pleaded for him not to leave, so he stood close enough to hear their conversation. She turned back to Wrench, "It might help your girlfriend out."

Wrench displayed exclamation points in his mask as he finally looked down at her, "You know about-"

"Of course I know about her!" Scarlett interrupted, "Everybody does - she's _Cyb0rg's. Ex Girlfriend!_ I just didn't think the rumors were true."

"Fuck," Wrench muttered, however, he wasn't surprised. He knew some people in Dedsec were helping watch over her, much how Owen had his own goons stalking her. They'd see how much time they spent together and figure something out, or at least let the rumors start. At least for now they were just rumors. He wasn't sure if he should tell the truth or keep up with his lie.

"Didn't think that you'd date a normie," Scarlett said almost judging him.

"She's not-" Wrench started to yell, but made a fist to attempt to calm down. He sighed, "What do you know?" He asked through gritted teeth.

Scarlett smirked and looked around, "Not here. Follow me," She said and started walking. They both followed along, but Scarlett glanced, "Uh-uh!" She said quickly pointing at Marcus, "Not you." She continued to walk backward, toward her destination. Wrench let his posture drop and he looked over at Marcus, who wasn't too sure about the situation. Marcus still followed them, but kept his distance so Scarlett didn't see.

Sitara spotted Wrench walking up toward her, but quickly noticed he was following Scarlett. She glared, and waited for Scarlett to pass before she grabbed Wrench's arm stopping him, "What are you doing?" She spit out glaring at him.

Wrench was startled at first, "She just wants to talk, it's fine," Wrench answered in a hushed tone.

"Yeah and poison your drink," Sitara retorted, "What about Emma?"

Scarlett came up, "Don't worry, Sitara, this concerns his little girlfriend," She said clearly showing disdain toward Emma.

Sitara just looked at Wrench with her eyebrows raised, "Mind if I talk to Wrench alone for a second?" She asked Scarlett with fake sincerity.

Scarlett rolled her eyes, "I'll be in there," She pointed to a room down the hall, and started walking towards it, "Don't keep me waiting."

"Girlfriend, huh?" Sitara said more than asked.

"I panicked. Don't tell Emma," Wrench pleaded when Scarlett was far enough away.

"Okay, but you better not go in there with her," Sitara said.

"I know what it looks like, but she said she has info on Cyb0rg," Wrench explained.

Sitara gave him a hard stare, "5 minutes," She warned.

"Hopefully less," Wrench said and walked toward the room Scarlett walked into. Sitara watched him walk in before she pulled out her phone.

"Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?" Marcus asked running up. He maintained his distance until he saw her.

"Telling her Wrench can't make it to their _movie night_ ," Sitara answered angrily.

"You don't know that," Marcus said.

"Nothing good can come out of him going into that room with her," Sitara said.

"Look I don't know what kind of history they have, but don't underestimate him," Marcus said.

"Oh, I'm not worried about him. She's a damn succubus," Sitara said.

Marcus put his hand over Sitara's phone, "He can handle it."

Sitara looked at Marcus for a moment, thinking about it. But she didn't want Emma waiting up at night for no reason if Wrench wasn't going to go. It was past 10, which was early, but if he was going to spend anymore time at the party, it'd be too late for a date night with Emma. Sitara was just sparing her. She whipped her phone away, turned her back to Marcus and texted Emma: _Wrench is drunk. Don't wait up, hun. Sorry._ Sitara hit 'send.'

Wrench prepared himself to go through the door, but thankfully it led into a sunroom with Scarlett and other Dedsec members, which means he didn't have to be alone with her. There were some people already there smoking and sitting around, Scarlett joining in by lighting up a cigarette, "Alright Scar, can we make this quick?" Wrench asked.

"I can make it as fast you want, baby," She grinned.

"Oh my god, kill me," Wrench groaned to himself, turning to leave.

"I'm just kidding. Damn, what are you so worried about?" Scarlett asked.

"I told you I have a girlfriend," Wrench lied again.

"Yeah, you keep saying that. I think you forgot your balls in her purse," Scarlett said taking a drag of her cigarette.

"Har, har. You have something to tell me or not," Wrench said crossing his arms.

Scarlett put her cigarette out early with a smirk and walked closer to Wrench, "What are you going to do to repay me when I do? I have an idea that I promise I won't tell her about," She said and pushed Wrench forward, lightly. Due to the alcohol, he was swayed without much force and fell back into a couch he didn't realize was there until he landed. Before he could yell at Scarlett, she started sitting down on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You think I won't push a girl?" He asked without much confidence. Scarlett narrowed her eyes at him, and Wrench sighed, "Yeah, you're right… Could you just get off me?" He pleaded with annoyance trying not to shout.

"Why because of _Emelia?_ " She asked, saying her name with malice.

"You think she'd like seeing this?" Wrench asked out of panic. He didn't know why he said it. For a second he actually believed Emma was his girlfriend.

"You let her make all your decisions for you?" Scarlett asked and moved her arms, trying to lower his hood.

Wrench grabbed her forearms from behind his head and pulled them back to the front, "Scarlett," Wrench ordered.

"What? Stop letting her control you!" Scarlett pleaded.

Wrench didn't want to hit a girl, but he was close. Even though he was inebriated, he was hoping he'd still have enough self control over Scarlett's mind games, "This has nothing to do with her."

"C'mon Wrench, it's me," Scarlett said softly, reaching up to remove his mask.

Wrench was surprised he let her, but he wasn't happy about it, "What happened?" She asked softly, rubbing part of his face around the scars. He still flinched so she stopped, "Look whatever happened before between us, we can just…-" Scarlett cupped the side of his face and leaned in closer.

"Get off of me, Karen," Wrench said firmly.

Scarlett stopped and pulled back, "You know not to call me that," She said angrily.

Wrench forced her off his lap, pushed her legs off of him and stood up, grabbing his mask, "And you know not to take my mask off," He said, holding it to his side.

"Not like I haven't seen your face before," Scarlett muttered, "What's so special about that plain Jane, anyway?"

Wrench tightened his fist to try to calm himself down, "Look, do you know anything that could help me or not?" He asked trying not to sound as desperate as he was feeling. He knew speaking to Scarlett was going to be a bad idea.

"Oh my god!" Scarlett exclaimed finally standing up, "Open your eyes, Wrench! She's playing you!"

"What do you mean?" Wrench asked humoring her. He wasn't about to believe anything she had to say.

Scarlett sighed, "I saw her talking to Sam," She said.

"Yeah, he was her bodyguard before we found out he worked for Cyb0rg, so?" Wrench said.

"No like, yesterday." Scarlett said.

"When?" Wrench asked casually.

"Last night," Scarlett answered.

"I know exactly what she was doing last night, and Sam wasn't any part of it," Wrench said, leaving out the part where he jumped them. Although he did think it was suspicious that Sam knew exactly where to meet them.

Scarlett squinted her eyes, "Ew, I don't need to know what you two were doing last night okay?"

"You asked," Wrench said. He crossed his arms, "Is that it?"

"Sam was caught talking to Lenny yesterday, too," Scarlett said.

"Shit. Seriously?" Wrench asked, more invested into the situation. Perhaps Lenny had eyes on Emma as well, and that's how Sam knew, Wrench thought. Anything makes more sense than Emma willingly working with Sam and Owen.

Scarlett nodded, "So we have reason to believe that Cyb0rg is working with Prime_Eight. Emelia might be too," Scarlett said.

"She's not," Wrench answered quickly.

"God, get her off that pedestal of yours. You know all the shit Cyb0rg used to say about her when they were dating? She was controlling, selfish, cried to get her way-" Scarlett said.

Wrench interrupted, "Keep in mind that Cyb0rg is the fucking traitor here. Why would you believe anything he says?" He asked, trying to maintain his cool.

"This was looong before he ditched us, homie," A stranger on the couch chimed in.

"Did I ask you!?" Wrench shouted.

"And she could be a traitor right now, but you trust her for some reason," Scarlett said.

The couch stranger lightly laughed with a sleazy tone to it, "I think I know why. Heard she was a good lay."

"Hey man, fuck you!" Wrench shouted pointing at the couch stranger. He walked towards him, but Scarlett pulled him back.

Wrench pulled himself out of her grasp, keeping himself balanced, "The fuck am I even doing here? I could be with her right now," Wrench said. He looked over to Scarlett angrily, before putting his mask back on, "Are we done here?" Wrench asked.

"If you refuse to listen to reason, then I guess we are," Scarlett said crossing her arms.

"Always a terrible time with you, Scar," Wrench said and walked to the door, "Stay away from me. And I swear if you go anywhere near Emma, I'll ruin your life," He threatened as he opened the door to stomp out.

"Get anything?" Sitara asked as he passed them, not bothering to follow him.

Wrench shook his head, "I shouldn't have went in there," He simply said and continued walking.

"Wrench, wait," Sitara said casually, but he didn't budge. He still marched forward through the crowds of people bumping into him. She stopped walking and glanced back into the room he came from. Scarlett was standing in the doorway smirking at Sitara. Scarlett brought her hand up to her to face and wiped her lower lip with the back of her hand, slowly, then shut the door behind her. Sitara was disgusted with the implication and thought back to Wrench's regretful statement when he walked out. Sitara knew she was going to give Wrench an earful tomorrow, but first she wanted to find Marcus.

~~~Outside~~~

Wrench was angry. He let Scarlet get into his head. Emma still working with Owen? Bullshit, he thought. No, he knew. Controlling? She encouraged him to go to the party and hang out with her later. He checked his phone to see it was already nearing 11pm. He cursed, thinking maybe it'd be too late. But he wanted to go see her. At the same time, he didn't want to say anything he didn't mean. Either out of anger from Scarlett, or out of being slightly drunk. He let that second part slip away from his mind. He was enjoying his buzz, but the combination of speaking to Scarlett and the cold air penetrating through his clothes seemed to have sobered him up.

But he thought about all the times she got mad. He had his own reasons to get mad, too, like when she overreacted or made assumptions before he could even say anything. Why was he supposed to get mad? They weren't together, he knew that. Using her as his "girlfriend" to get Scarlett off his back seemed to backfire, because now it actually felt like he was dealing with one.

Before long, Wrench got to Sitara's apartment. He stood outside her apartment door, ready to knock but he stopped himself. What if Emma was asleep. He leaned in closer to the door, trying to hear any sort of noise or movement coming from inside the apartment. When he couldn't hear anything and was confident she was asleep, he started to walk back. But he didn't want to give up just yet. He went back to the door and before he realized what he was doing, he was knocking, "Shit," He cursed suddenly feeling nervous. What was he going to say to her? What if she was asleep.

However, moments later the door opened, revealing a sleepy looking Emma. She smiled, "You're late," She said jokingly.

When his sights fell on Emma, he lost every angry feeling he was harboring on the way to her. Scarlett was playing her mind games. That was it. This was the traitor, he thought sarcastically. And with his half drunk brain, he let himself fall for it, "Did I wake you?" He asked softly.

Emma shook her head even though he knew she was lying. If Emma were controlling or whatever Scarlett led him to believe, she'd get mad for waking her or showing up late. She moved to the side, letting Wrench in, "I may have fallen asleep a bit. I didn't think you'd still come by," She closed the door, locking it.

"I lost track of time, sorry," He said softly, "Are you mad?"

Emma let out a quick laugh, "Why would I be mad?" She asked. It confirmed everything for Wrench, "I was just watching random stuff on Netflix," Emma walked over to the couch and sat down, moving the blanket to make room for Wrench.

"Anything good?" He asked joining her.

"What do you think?" Emma retorted. Wrench chuckled. He set his phone down on the coffee table and leaned back into the couch, sitting only a few inches away from Emma, "You smell like alcohol and cigarettes" She said.

Wrench didn't know how to take that, "Should I...leave?" He asked.

"No!" Emma said softly, but quickly, "I didn't mean that in a bad way. Just saying," Emma said.

"You think Sitara would get mad if I took a shower and wore her clothes?" He chuckled. He knew Sitara liked the occasional baggy sweater, he was sure he'd find something he could wear.

Emma laughed, "I'd love to see her reaction."

Wrench could feel a headache coming on, "Could go for some water though," He muttered and stood up, walking to the kitchen, "Want anything?"

"Water would be great," Emma answered. Wrench's phone vibrated and lit up. She glanced over to it on the table and saw 3 text messages in a row all from Scarlett. She squinted her eyes. Her name again…

 _Where did you go?_

 _Ugh, are you with her?_

 _I told you you're wasting your time, just…_

The third message was cut off. She was really curious about Scarlett's further advice. Wrench chugged down some water and came back to sit down, this time closer to Emma. He handed her a glass of water and she smiled at him, "How was the party?" She asked trying to sound as natural as possible.

Wrench really didn't want to go into detail. He shrugged, "Was fun for a while, but then it got annoying. Some people just looove drama," Wrench explained, "Like, why couldn't they separate business with their personal lives you know?" He asked.

Emma nodded, "Who's _they?"_ She asked.

"Just… random Dedsec members. Owen was brought up. People knew about you," He said.

"Oh yeah? Did Scarlett know about me?" She said before she could stop herself. Wrench just looked at her. He tried to keep his cool, but his heart sank. Has Scarlett already contacted her? Emma looked down and covered her mouth with her closed fist, regretting saying anything.

"You know her?" Wrench asked nervously.

Emma stayed silent for a moment, surprised he didn't get mad, "No, I just… saw her name pop up on her phone," She said quietly and realized how it sounded, "I-I-I didn't look through your phone, it just saw her name pop up from here, and… that's all."

"She thinks you're working with Owen," He said begrudgingly. He was adjusting his mask that felt loose.

"What?!" Emma asked surprised, and even more offended.

"Yeah, exactly. She said she saw you talking to Sam, and that Sam was talking to Lenny… oh, uh a leader of another hacking group," Wrench explained.

"Jeez, how many hacker groups are there?" Emma muttered.

"Too many," Wrench answered.

"You don't believe her, right?" Emma asked nervously.

Wrench whipped his head to her, looking into her eyes. She looked scared, like he didn't trust Emma. Wrench thought the question was so ridiculous that it didn't need an answer. That or he didn't really know how to aside from a simple, _hell no_ response. Emma looked down, "Like… you trust me?" She rephrased.

Wrench looked straight ahead and reached up to the straps of his mask, slowly undoing them. He brought up his other hand to grasp the front of it, slowly taking it away from his face. He held it in his hands, not yet turning to look at Emma, "Of course I trust you," He answered.

Emma smiled. There was a comfortable silence between them for a moment. Emma scooted closer to him, wrapping both her arms around one of his, cuddling with it. He leaned back with her and enjoyed the comfort. She wasn't sure what to say. She liked his face and would like to see it? That'd be out of the blue, she figured, but she wanted to say something, "I like your voice," She mumbled.

Wrench let out a quick chuckle and a smirk that she couldn't see, "Oh, yeah?"

"Don't laugh!" She said with her own laugh. She stretched her arm forward to reach for his hand. He turned it up allowing Emma to lace her fingers with his. They've held hands before, she never realized how intimate it may have felt before. Why was it so special then?

"So you wouldn't mind if I wore my mask less around you?" He asked quietly, knocking her out of her thoughts. He sounded insecure, like he felt dumb for asking.

"Pfft, would I mind," She scoffed, "I just want you to do whatever makes you comfortable," She said. It was a relief for Wrench. _Controlling_ , he mentally laughed.

Wrench squeezed her hand briefly, "Thanks, Em."

"We don't have to watch, but mind if I put something on?" Emma asked.

Wrench smirked, "Netflix and chill, huh?"

Emma laughed and let go of his hand to reach for the remote, "Just Netflix for now," She said and blushed at _for now_. Did she really suggest to something more? She quickly turned back, "Uh…"

"I know what you meant," He reassured with a slight smile. Wrench took this opportunity to lift his arms up to rest against the back of the couch, also leaning his head back with his eyes closed. He was still a little buzzed and enjoyed how relaxed he suddenly was. He felt a poke against his side, causing him to twitch and retract one arm closer to him as a reaction. He peered one eye open to see Emma sitting, looking at him with a wide grin, "What?" He muttered self consciously, glad he didn't end up accidentally hitting her.

Emma covered her face with her hand, "Are you ticklish?" She asked.

Wrench groaned, "Don't. You. Dare."

"So _that's_ the reason for the studs and spikes!" She cheered.

"I'm not worried about people coming up to me and tickling me!" He said back, amused at her ridiculous assumption.

"Mhmm," She said with squinted eyes, "I was just gonna ask if you wanted to take it off," She suggested.

Wrench lazily obliged, feeling much more comfortable when he could further sink into the couch. He took a deep breath just to let out a long sigh, "I should have just hung out with you tonight."

"I'm sorry… I feel like I forced you to go," Emma said, "I just didn't want you to regret not going. I don't know," She muttered.

"Nah, I appreciate that, really. I'm just extra worried now. A lot of people know about you," Wrench said, caressing her arm with the back of his hand, "And Scarlett that evil devil woman."

"She sounds lovely," Emma joked, "And I knew what I was getting into. It's why I tried to ignore Sitara's partnership at first."

"I was never really friends with Cyb0rg...um, Owen before. I wonder how different things would be if I were," Wrench wondered.

"I'm sure he would have made me sound lovely," Emma said crossing her arms.

Wrench reached around Emma to lightly pull her into him, "C'mere," he mumbled and she obliged without any resistance. She curled up closer to him and he wrapped his arm around her more. This is probably the closest she ever really felt to him, and the most nervous, "Whatever he's saying about you is a lie. I know you, Emma, and you _are_ … _lovely_ ," He spoke into her hair.

Emma wrapped her free arm around Wrench's torso, getting closer, "As long as you think so," She said.

"What are we watching anyway?" He asked just now paying attention to the Tv.

"Black Mirror… it's… weird," She answered. They sat in silence for a bit, just paying attention to what was on the Tv. She focused on his rhythmic breathing, and feeling his chest rise up and down, which made her happy, even if she didn't know why. She just knew that she liked it. But it started to get a little too rhythmic, she thought. She slowly peered up to see his eyes closed and his head was rolled to the side, slightly away from her. Emma slowly pulled herself away from his hold, trying carefully not to wake him up. She set his arm down and studied his face. He looked so peaceful. His mask always made him seem animated, but with it off, he's just looked sad or burdened. Maybe it was just the last two occasions, but even when he smiled, it looked like it was hard for him. Did he not think he deserved to be happy? She furrowed her eyebrow at the thought. Whatever happened to him in his past must have deeply affected him. She wanted to reach out and touch his face, even at the risk of waking him up.

Before she could make a decision, she heard the door to the apartment unlock. She peered over waiting for Sitara to walk in so she could shush her. Even that didn't go as planned. She stormed in angrily, slamming the door behind her. Wrench's eyes slowly opened, but he didn't move. Sitara ignored Emma's shushing as she grabbed the pillow that was on the couch and started hitting Wrench with it, "You. Son. Of. A. Bitch!" She exclaimed and threw the pillow in his face one last time.

Wrench, now completely awake, stood up, "The fuck?!" He simply asked.

"I talked to Scarlett," Sitara answered angrily.

"That explains the hitting. What'd she do?" Wrench asked.

"What did _she_ do? She told me what _you guys_ did," Sitara said.

"What did we do?" Wrench asked confused.

Sitara looked at Emma, who also shrugged, "Emma, can you go to-"

"No,no,no," Wrench interrupted, "Emma should stay and hear how much of a psycho Scarlett is."

Sitara stopped and looked between the two and rolled her eyes, "She told me you traded... _favors_ for information," Sitara began. Emma blushed and looked away, feeling uncomfortable.

"Okay, gross," Wrench said quickly, "And what actually happened was her telling me that Sam talked to Emma and Lenny, and then proceeded to spread whatever slander Owen told her about Emma," Wrench said.

Sitara sighed, deciding to just spit it out, "My story was that you gave her a handjob for information which involved Emma being a spy for Owen and trying to tear Dedsec from within. And that you didn't care about Dedsec because Emma was your g-" Sitara stopped talking, remember Wrench's secret, "...Your great friend."

Emma blushed, feeling awkward as Wrench's face scrunched out of disgust, "Ew. You really think that happened in 5 minutes?"

Sitara looked at Emma, who's eyes widened and her face turned the reddest it's ever been, "I don't know!" She exclaimed.

"First of all, my hand would be melted off my goddamn arm if I ever touched Scarlett," Wrench said and Sitara chuckled, "Second of all, how could you even believe that? Emma's your friend, too."

Sitara looked over to Emma first, "I'm sorry… Scarlett's my friend too. She'd never do something to hurt Dedsec," Sitara said. She hated to admit it, but Wrench's crush on Emma was too far gone that she believed he'd do anything to protect her, even if it was lying for her.

"Sounds like Owen and _Scarlett_ are perfect for each other... Manipulative assholes," Emma muttered.

Sitara shook her head. The situation was suspicious anyway. Maybe Emma wasn't a spy, she didn't truly believe that she was. But Scarlett saw something. Scarlett was very adamant about killing Owen when she found out he was a traitor. She'd never join him, she knew that for a fact. Scarlett was just misunderstanding something. It could have also been because Scarlett and Wrench had a thing back in the day and Scarlett was jealous of Emma. Sitara felt bad for making assumptions, especially Wrench's loyalty to Emma - which she was angry about, but she had to protect Dedsec and she'd never feel back for doing so, "We'll talk about it tomorrow. I'm going to bed," Sitara said and walked into her room, not even glancing or saying goodnight to Emma.

Emma felt a stab in her heart. Sitara really thought she was a traitor? Who was this Scarlett and why was she turning her friends against her. No, she knew it all stemmed from Owen… Why was he still torturing her? Her eyes began to tear up, which Wrench immediately noticed. He walked closer to her, and put both his hands on her arms, trying to make her look up at him, "Hey, look, it's not you…" He said softly.

Emma nodded, "I know… It's Owen. It's all him," She said and wiped the tears away. She didn't feel like crying over him. That'd mean he won. As much as she enjoyed Wrench's comfort, she pulled back. She just wanted to be alone.

Wrench stood still, letting Emma take this at her own pace, "You know what Scarlett said is a lie, right?" He asked carefully.

Emma nodded, even though she wasn't sure why she should care. Jealousy, sure, but they weren't together, it wouldn't be cheating. She wanted to laugh at herself for getting that far ahead. He didn't even do anything. Of course she believed him, "If you say it is, then yeah."

"Sitara will come to her senses. She's really protective over Dedsec, but that includes you now," Wrench said.

"No," Emma said with force, "I'm not part of Dedsec. I never was, never will be. That's where I draw the line. It's bad enough i'm associated with you guys. Got me into this mess…" She muttered. Wrench felt hurt, but he didn't show it. Or he tried not to. This is why the mask was safer for him. He went over to grab it, Emma stopping him, "No, wait! I'm sorry I said that. I didn't mean it. I'm just stressed out." She said.

Wrench nodded, "I know," He said casually.

"Really! Please, Wrench," Emma strolled up and grabbed his hand and his mask, setting it back on the coffee table. She held his hands with both of hers, "Please stay. We can watch whatever you want, just don't leave because I said something stupid. Don't be mad," She pleaded.

"I'm not mad," He reassured, using his free hand to brush hair behind her ear that got caught in her tears.

"I feel like you are," Emma muttered, enjoying the brief moment of feeling of his skin on her face.

"We're all just stressed out right now. Don't know who to trust and all," Wrench said and put his hands into his pockets.

"No, that's no excuse!" Emma shouted, "You're nothing but nice to me, and-"

"Emma," Wrench tried to interrupt.

"-And all I do is get mad, and jealous. I don't know why!" Emma continued to ramble.

"...Emma," Wrench attempted again.

"-You know i'll believe anything you say, but then there's this paranoid feeling in the back of my head that everyone is just out to get me, even Dedsec-"

"Emma!" Wrench said.

"You let me finish!" She said, "Wrench, everything is falling apart. We've gotten no closer to finding Owen. More and more people know about me and it's making all of this harder.." She trailed off, "I really do trust you, but one day Owen's going to get you to turn on me, too. You can say he won't, but it's what he's already done and-"

"Okay, please don't get mad," Wrench interrupted. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and reached out to touch her cheek again with his hand.

"Don't get mad at wh-" She started but was interrupted with Wrench's lip on her's, silencing her. She couldn't comprehend what was happening until he pulled away slightly, still inches away from her face. She looked up into his eyes, never being so close before making her nervous, "Was that just to shut me up?" She asked barely above a whisper.

"Only about 12%... and it worked," He said with a slight smile.

"And the other… 88%?" She asked, actually having to remember how to do math. A chemist, struggling to do simple math, she would have scolded at herself.

"Something I've wanted to do for a while," Wrench said once again leaning in to close the distance between them. This time Emma responded back to the kiss, no longer in her initial state of shock. She even wrapped her arms around his neck, Wrench followed by wrapping his arms around her back, lightly. She was swooning, really. Wrench was always nice to her, she had no idea it would lead to this, with her slight naivety to romance. But during this time is when she knew she wanted it to happen for a long time. It felt right.

Wrench on the other hand, despite his smooth delivery, was shaking on the inside. He didn't know how he pulled it off. He'd like to think it was partly the alcohol, and people pissing him off all day. He realized Emma was the thing that could calm him down, and even pushing their relationship forward was something she made comfortable.

The door to Sitara's room opened, causing them to immediately separate and try to act natural, "Oh, there's my mask!" Wrench said awkwardly.

"You found it!" Emma said even more awkwardly, her voice shaking. She turned to see Sitara stood in the hallway with a raised eyebrow, "Oh, hey Sitara!"

"Whats going on?" She asked slowly.

"Hm?" Emma asked, fully knowing what she asked, but she just wanted more time to answer.

"We were just trying to find my... mask, you know," Wrench said trying to save Emma from answering.

"In Emma's mouth?" Sitara asked trying not to grin.

"You didn't see anything!" Emma shouted back pointing.

"Well, we found it so doesn't matter, right?" Wrench asked, still shaken about the whole situation, He put his mask on and headed around the couch for the door, "See you tomorrow?"

"Wrench, relax!" Sitara said. Wrench stopped advancing toward the door.

"What am I your mother that you're hiding from?" She asked slightly offended they were nervous about their kiss in front of her. Then it dawned on her, "Unless…" Sitara's jaw dropped, "Was that your first kiss?!" Emma and Wrench stood silent, not wanting to look at each other, realizing it was awkward. She started laughing, "I'm just relieved you two finally told each other how you feel. Maybe not with words, but hey it'll do," Sitara said.

"...Finally?" Emma asked, with Wrench thinking the same thing. That means they've both shared each other's feelings and have told other people about it. Emma only assumed Marcus knew. Everything made sense then.

"Oh, have I said too much?" Sitara grinned, "Listen, I just wanted to talk to Emma," She looked over at Wrench and he got the hint.

"Uh… right," Wrench said and grabbed his vest to put it on, "Call me," He looked at Emma and winked through his mask. Emma chuckled. He'd never act this playful with his mask off. It was almost like two different people, which she didn't really understand how to handle or process that realization. But for now, she liked them both. Wrench was still Wrench. He left the apartment.

Sitara leaned against the hallway, "I didn't mean for it to seem like I was mad at you. First, I was mad at Wrench for possibly doing something with another woman, let alone, _Scarlett_ …For your sake, you know," Sitara said and Emma nodded with a smile, "Second, I just hate that I got played by her."

"You really don't like her, do you?" Emma asked.

Sitara shook her head, "She wants the best for Dedsec, too. She's a little more conniving than I am, but she gets the job done. I can't really explain it."

Emma didn't really understand, but perhaps she has to know Scarlett. Although, she hoped she never would, "I don't know how much this matters right now, but I would never do anything to intentionally harm you or anyone in Dedsec. I hope you know that."

Sitara smiled. She did, to an extent. She's ready for anyone to betray her. All her years of hard work would _not_ go down the drain because of a friendship with anyone. Emma perhaps wouldn't betray her, but there were a lot of dangers in keeping Emma around. She knew that, even before Ray voiced his concern. Emma was her friend on a short leash, but she couldn't tell her that, "We're cool, Emma."

Emma saw the contemplation behind Sitara's eyes. She didn't fully trust her. Emma felt hurt, but she had to understand. Dedsec was her baby. Emma looked down at the ground, "Good."

"Now that that's out of the way," Sitara ran up to grab Emma's hand and pull her to the couch, "Tell me all about it! How did it happen!?"

Emma laughed as she was being pulled down, "Sitara! This is a new side of you."

"I just need to know if I should think it's adorable or make fun of Wrench later," Sitara said.

"Don't you _dare_ tell him I told you!" Emma warned as she began to describe the events that happened minutes ago, becoming more and more eager to see him again.

* * *

Wasn't originally going to make them kiss, but I took an extra day to make the decision. It was time ;D


	9. 9 - Decoy

MY LOVES 3. I want to say thanks for the continued support and encouragement to keep going. I'll be honest why I haven't updated in a few months. I know what I wanted to happen 1-2 chapters ahead, but I was having trouble figuring out what to do for a filler. I kept thinking of things and when I started to type it all out, I either didn't like the way it was flowing, or the characters didn't seem right. So I had to step back and get at it from a different approach. However, life responsibilities got in the way and I had to focus more on those over doing something like this. Even with my limited time off, I couldn't bring myself to use that time to type away something I was unsure of. But I finally did it. It's something i'm not completely happy with, but it serves it's purpose. I was able to add story to it, too, not just a filler. It'll make more of an impact in later chapters, too. I really hope you understand, and I promise it won't be as long for the next part ;) It's all in my head, just have to type the words out.

By the way the last two DLCs had some super awesome Wrench moments. I hope it's not the end. Watch Dogs 3 needs to have the WD2 gang back! They're too good, and I have so much fun trying to write them. Long live Wrench. Enjoy! (again, sorry for typos. I just really wanted this out.)

-Blink

* * *

When Wrench left Sitara and Emma's apartment, he wished he could go right back in. Who knows what they could be talking about. They could be talking about him. Girls gossiped, even if they weren't the gossiping type. He dreaded even seeing Sitara the next day. And then Sitara would message Marcus about it, probably. Wrench pulled his phone out to text Marcus

-My garage first thing tomorrow- He sent.

Wrench put his phone back into his pocket and walked the remaining way home, deciding that home was going to be his garage. He was trying to focus on what happened, rather than worrying about tomorrow. He finally kissed Emma! Did he? Maybe he was remembering it wrong. No, he did. He was sure. He could still feel her body against his. It actually happened. However, he still didn't think it was the right time. He still wanted to wait until after Owen was dealt with, first. He had his own issues, but Emma didn't seem to mind it. She liked him, too! According to Sitara, but maybe there were other signs too. Getting jealous over her friends talking to him should have been a big one. His mind suddenly went to Scarlett and worried that she would try to meddle. She's certainly evil enough, he thought.

He unlocked the door to his garage and laid down on the nearby futon. He brought out his phone one last time to see two text messages. He assumed they were both from Marcus, but his heart fluttered when he saw one of the messages came from Emma. He opened that one first.

- _Hope you got home okay!-_

She was so sweet! He gushed and mentally slapped himself  
- _Garage is home tonight, but I did make it! See you tomorrow?-_ He asked. He wanted to keep it short, but he couldn't help but want to keep the conversation going.

-Yeah, I'll be around. Good night!- She texted back.

-Goodnight, Emma- He sent before falling asleep.

~~~The Next Morning~~~

"Wake up!"

Wrench heard a voice. It took a few extra moments to register that the voice belonged to Marcus. Why was he there? Oh yeah, Wrench remembered. He asked him to come by. Wrench groaned and began sitting up, "It's morning already?" He said, his voice raspy from sleeping.

"Morning? It's noon," Marcus said.

"Shit, for real?" Wrench asked, waking up even more.

"Yeah. I'd say sorry I'm late, but it seems like I was early," Marcus grinned crossing his arms.

Wrench fully stood up and casually stretched, "Slept the hangover off at least."

"Yeah, same. I actually didn't even get up until an hour ago," Marcus said, "So what'd you call me over here for?"

Wrench stopped moving mid-stretch. Emma. His stomach started feeling light, wondering why he was suddenly nervous about her. He relaxed his posture and reached to grab his phone, only to see a few texts from Marcus saying that he was on his way over. Nothing from Emma. Should he text her? Without looking up at Marcus, he spoke, "I kissed Emma," He said quietly, somewhat unsure.

"Ayyyyye!" He cheered and tapped Wrench on the arm, "That's great!"

Wrench looked up and studied Marcus' face, and squinted his eyes, displaying slant emoticons on his mask, "You already knew."

Marcus tried not to let it show on his face, "N-nooo, man, I…." He sighed, unable to lie, "Sitara told me."

"That bitch!" He said under his breath. He didn't mean it in a malicious way, they both knew.

"It's still awesome, man! Finally!" Marcus said.

"I still think it was too soon… you know I wanted to wait-"

Marcus interrupted him, "Wait until after we deal with Cyb0rg, I know. But you didn't, so you get to look forward to whatever's next with you guys. It's about time, really."

"Yeah," Wrench said quietly.

But Marcus knew it was also something more personal, "Look, man. She likes you. She cares about you. Instead of bottling up everything, talk to her. She's going to want to help you just as much as you want to help her."

Wrench nodded. She kind of already did. She was so comfortable to him, and she already expressed how he could freely wear his mask on or off however he pleased. She said she liked his voice. Wrench smiled, glad that Marcus wasn't able to see it, "She already has," He said softly.

"Man, you've got it bad," Marcus said.

"That obvious, huh?" Wrench asked.

"Then hold on to it. I know you wanted to wait, but these feelings don't come around too often. You'd regret it if you lost her because you waited too long. Focus on how lucky you are to have her in your life," Marcus said.

Wrench looked up at Marcus with circles displaying on his mask, "Damn, that was deep."

"A bit dramatic?" Marcus slightly cringed.

Wrench shrugged and agreed casually, "This conversations making me feel weird. Can we like, go blow up a garage that belongs to Lenny or something?"

Marcus chuckled, "One thing at a time, man."

~~~San Francisco County Jail~~~

Emma was sitting in an empty seat, staring ahead at a phone and a clear piece of bulletproof plastic. Sam wouldn't show, she thought. He was done talking. But still, she waited. What did either of them have to lose? A guard walked out from the door, no Sam behind him. Emma frowned. Just when she was about to give up, she heard the door open again and there he was. He glared at Emma like she were his prey, causing shivers to go up Emma's spine. He let all of his weight fall into the seat as he stared at her, waiting for her to make the first move.

Emma tried to mask her nerves. She wouldn't be the timid girl she was last time. She grabbed the phone confidently and waited for Sam to do the same, which he did, "Wasn't expecting you to give me the time of day," She said.

"I imagine you're actually alone this time?" He asked, referring to Dedsec, she guessed.

Emma raised an eyebrow, "How did you know…?" She asked.

"Reading people is on my resume," He said flatly, "Plus, I spent 8 hours a day with you for like 4 days. I learned your mannerisms."

"They don't even know I'm here," Emma said.

Sam smirked, "Taking the initiative? C'mon, that's not the Emma I know."

Emma stared at him emotionlessly, "Maybe you're not so good at reading people after all," She said.

"So defensive…" Sam mused, "I can tell you're nervous as hell right now."

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. She took a moment of silence so she didn't raise her voice, "Where's Owen?" Emma asked.

"This again? Awww," Sam drawled, "And here I thought you just wanted to talk to me," He said almost mocking her.

"Cut the shit, Sam. Why are you protecting him!?" Emma asked slightly raising her voice, looking over Sam's shoulder to see a guard giving her an angry look. She raised her hand, apologizing.

Sam smirked. He got to her. She was serious. Scared, even. Sam knew he was the best direct line she and Dedsec had to Owen, "When someone promises you the world, wouldn't you follow their every command?" He asked, being vague.

"Owen did promise me the world. And then he backstabbed me and ruined my life. Sound familiar?" Emma asked with a straight face.

Sam's smirked, "Very."

"Sam, you're in here because of him. You realize that? He's not busting you out," Emma said seriously.

Sam's smirk dropped. She was right. Sam failed in the long term plan and then became a usual suspect. Dedsec was already onto him. He was no use to Owen. He leaned forward, putting his elbows on the desk in front of him, "You're his favorite, Emma. He just wants to keep you around to scare you. It's like a sick game to him. Stop messing with fire and you won't get burned," Sam said. He removed the phone from his ear and set it on the handset.

"Wait, Sam! That doesn't help!" Emma said, but Sam hung up before he could hear her finish, "Sam!" She shouted standing up. He already left. Emma groaned and slammed the phone, storming out, ignoring the scolding by the guards. She was sick of failing. She couldn't tell Dedsec she came back to talk to him. Maybe she should, she thought. Ray already didn't trust her, Sitara was even starting to lose her trust, which hurt. All Emma wanted to do was help. She shook her head. She'd come back. Sam would give her answers.

Emma's eyes were glued to the ground as she exited the jail and marched down the steps. Marcus was walking by across the street at the right time to see her walk out. He squinted in curiousity why she'd go to the jail. To visit Sam? He wondered. He followed her.

She crossed the street, to which Marcus picked up his pace to intercept her. She turned down the street toward Marcus' direction. She had her eyes glued to the ground the entire time. But when she was getting close to Marcus, he decided to speak up, "Hey Emma!" He said cheerfully.

Emma's eyes widened and she shot her head up to look up at Marcus, "M-Marcus, hey!" She said quietly, still dumbfounded. Did he see her walk out?

"Whatcha doin?" He asked casually.

He was suspicious, she thought. He definitely saw, but she was going to play it off, "Just going for a walk. What are you up to?" She asked trying to sound casual.

"Same. Saw Wrench a bit ago, running errands now," Marcus said.

Emma slightly blushed at the mention of Wrench's name. He still hasn't messaged her. Should she? "Oh, cool, I was probably going to see him later, or something," She said. She hoped, at least, "Need help with any errands?" She asked. She didn't really want to, but she figured it was less suspicious of her if she was being nice.

Marcus pretended to think about it, "Mmm, nahh I got this. Not too big of a deal."

Emma nodded, "Well, I guess I shouldn't keep you. See ya," She smiled and walked ahead, attempting to pass Marcus.

Marcus started speaking, making her stop once she passed him, "Buuuuut you could tell me why you were just in the jail talking to Sam."

Emma felt her heart sank. This looked bad, she knew it. She turned to Marcus, "It's not what you think…" She said. She knew there were some issues with her loyalty, she wasn't stupid.

"I'm sure it isn't, which is why I'm asking," Marcus said.

She felt slightly relaxed. He wasn't trying to interrogate her. She was doing something against Dedsec's back. She surely understood his concern, "Is there somewhere we can talk?" She asked.

"Yeah, good idea," Marcus said. He led them to the nearby park, away from the busy streets and any passer-bys that might want to listen in. Marcus sat down on the bench, expecting Emma to sit down as well. He remembered that she liked to pace when she was nervous, so he took her still standing as just nerves.

"I'm tired of feeling useless…" She muttered without warning.

Marcus mentally relaxed a bit, glad that she wasn't about to admit that she was a traitor, "So you went in alone…" He said.

"I know I have my role. I'm the chemist. I just hate standing by while you guys are out there doing something for my benefit. I want to be out there, too," Emma started. Marcus looked like he was about to talk, so Emma spoke up again, "I'm getting through to him! I know it."

"First of all, it's for all of Dedsec's benefit. And second, i'm not mad that you went. I'm just worried about you going alone is all," Marcus said, "Does anyone else know?"

Emma shook her head, "No, and I'd really like for it to just be between us."

"But why? You realize how dangerous it is for you to be there alone, right?" Marcus asked.

"And that's exactly why I don't want anyone to know. Last time I went, with an earpiece, he knew I wasn't alone. I think if I go alone he'll trust me more," Emma said.

"Could we just get someone to stand outside or something?" Marcus asked.

"If I expect him to trust me, I'm going to be honest as well," Emma said.

"Yeah, but Emma, think about everything he's done. To you, to _Wrench_ ," He emphasized, "You really think he deserves honesty from you?"

Marcus was right, Emma knew. And the way he emphasized it meant he knew about her and Wrench, at least she assumed he did. Either from Sitara or Wrench himself. She thought it'd be cute if Wrench just couldn't wait to tell him. But she'd gush over that later, "It's all because of Owen. Not Sam… He's being used, too."

Marcus shook his head, "I'm not okay with this."

"I know," Emma said, "Which is why I wanted it to be a secret. I'm not trying to do anything behind your guys' back, but I'm making progress with him better alone."

"Well, what'd you get so far?" Marcus asked.

"Well...Not much… Just that he said Owen enjoys messing with people and he doesn't actually want to hurt me. I don't know how true that is, but the point is that i'm breaking him down. He's protecting Owen less now. That's the kind of progress I mean," Emma explained.

"Messing with people? Em, he's making people kill themselves!" Marcus said.

"I know! It's a twisted game to him, but if he doesn't want to hurt me, it's safe for me to get close, right?" Emma asked.

Marcus sighed and let his shoulders drop, "If anyone finds out that I know-" Marcus began.

"You don't know a thing! You didn't see me walk out, and we never had this discussion. Please, Marcus?" Emma pleaded.

"Okay, but if anything happens to you, my conscious will make me confess. Which means Wrench will kill me. You know that, right?" Marcus joked.

Emma chuckled, "So he told you?"

"Well Sitara did first, but he did. It's about time, too!" Marcus said.

"Everyone keeps saying that?" Emma said in a question.

"Oh, come on. Dude's been into you since even before he met you. You're the only one who didn't see it," Marcus laughed.

Emma chuckled and blushed, "And no one said anything?"

"It's complicated. You know Wrench enough to understand why," Marcus said.

"Yeah, I guess I know what you mean," Emma said smiling softly.

"He's super lucky to have you around, Emma," Marcus smiled kindly.

"Thanks, Marcus. He's really lucky to have a best friend like you, too," Emma said.

Marcus stood up, "He is, isn't he?!" Marcus said. Emma laughed along with a quick chuckle from Marcus, "You know, with all this good luck he has, maybe he shouldn't be complaining so much about everything else."

"He doesn't complain that much!" Emma defended with a chuckle.

"Pffft, maybe not around you!" Marcus said, "All I hear from him is about that damn microchip he's been hunting down."

"He still hasn't found that thing? What's he even need it for?" Emma asked.

"I don't even think he knows anymore," Marcus chuckled, "But hey, i'll catch you later?" He asked.

Emma nodded, "Thanks again, Marcus… You won't regret it," She said and smiled. He winked and walked away.

After Marcus left, Emma took a seat and was able to enjoy the park alone. It was quiet, but it worried her. Being out in the open like that meant she was an even easier target. Owen could just kidnap or kill her now. Emma once wanted a life where she could hide from people. Her old job gave her that, and the second she thought she could change it is when things got worse. But now she had friends. She felt safer, even being alone. She figured, or at least hope, that if Owen were to kidnap her now, her friends would come to save her.

There were still doubts of her loyalty, but she still wanted to believe they'd save her.

"Excuse me, miss?" A voice struck her out of her daze. She slightly looked up at an older man, "Is this seat taken?" He asked, referring to the spot on the bench next to her. He had a lunchbox and a newspaper in his arms. Normally she'd think nothing of it, but with current circumstances, she felt the need to be suspicious of him. Even this nice looking older man. He looked like he were in his 50s, with children. Maybe even grandchildren. A family… She smiled. How could he be intimidating?

Emma stood up, "No, I was just leaving," She said and walked away. Owen won't win, she decided. Even if it meant talking to Sam every day for a month straight, she'd find Owen and stop him. He would no longer run her life. She wanted what that older man might have had. A family. A steady job with an hour lunch where she can just go sit on a bench and relax. A family, even. She wouldn't get that by giving up. Her mind snapped back to Wrench and she couldn't help but smile. She wanted to giggle at the thought of him being a family man. Even if that thought was ridiculous, she liked him and enjoyed their current time together, even if it wouldn't go anywhere. Maybe she was getting ahead of herself. They just kissed once.

She brought out her phone to message him and for some reason her heart fluttered looking at his name in her text messages. She grinned and decided against texting him. She'd rather surprise him with a visit.

~~~Wrench's Garage~~~

Emma got the door to Wrench's garage opened, her ears immediately filled with loud rock music that she wasn't sure she liked. Wrench was under a car, doing what, Emma didn't know, but his legs were the only things visible. She thought about how to announce her presence. Maybe change the song? Wrench threw a tool off to the side with a groan, the clank of it hitting the ground startling her. Emma picked up the tool and walked over to the car. She kneeled down and bent forward to rest on her elbows. The car was propped up just enough to give her a perfect view of a frustrated Wrench. He wasn't wearing his mask. Probably to see better, Emma guessed.

He was muttering to himself about fuses and wires and something about outdated tech on a new car. She wasn't understanding most of it, but for some reason the sight before her just made her smile. Wrench in his element. He let his head fall back onto the ground, and outstretched his arms out, letting out a frustrated noise.

"Need help?" Emma asked.

Wrench got startled and hit his head under the car, only to let his head fall back on the ground, holding his forehead, "Fuck," He groaned.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" Emma called out, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Nah, I meant to do that," Wrench said, barely audible over the music. He rolled out from under the car, standing up. Emma got up off her knees to stand up with him. She followed him over to a counter, his back stayed turned to her. Wrench turned down the music and reached over to his mask that was on the counter. Emma wish he'd keep the mask off, but she didn't want to bring it up to upset him. She didn't want to ask him to keep it off and then him being too worried to say no to her. Wrench held the mask but didn't put it on yet. He turned to Emma, noticing she was holding the wire stripper he threw, "Did I hit you with that?" He asked.

"Hm?" She asked, distracted by seeing his face again.

"The thing you're holding," He answered.

Emma looked down into her hands, "Oh!" She walked closer to him and handed the tool to him, "No, I just picked it up. Forgot I was holding it."

Wrench saw she looked nervous walking up to him. Why was she nervous? He wondered. She's the cool one, and he was the nervous wreck. He thought that's how it'd always be. He grabbed the wire stripper from her, "Thanks," He said and set it on the table, "So how long were you here?"

Emma smiled, "Enough to see you throw a tantrum."

Wrench scoffed, "Tantrum?" He repeated.

"What would you call throwing objects around while swearing?" Emma asked.

"I call that a regular afternoon as an engineer," He said, setting his mask on the counter. He crossed his arms and leaned back on the counter.

Emma pretended to think, "Hmmm, funny. I don't think I've ever seen Marcus or Josh like that."

"Maybe because they're not _real_ engineers," He said as a matter of factly.

"Oooo, i'm going to tell them you said that," Emma said.

"And hurt poor Josh's feelings?" Wrench asked with a smirk. He knew she had a soft spot for Josh since he was always so nice to her.

Emma wanted to swoon over Wrench's smirk. Why was she suddenly acting like a teenager, she wondered. She was able to play it off, "And Marcus feelings?"

"Oh, he'll fight back. With a vengeance. You should be concerned about _my_ feelings," Wrench joked.

"Yeahhhh. I know how sensitive and fragile you are, after all," Emma said.

"Yeah," Wrench breathed out sarcastically, "And you're still gonna tell him and risk that?"

"Maaaaybe," Emma took a few steps forward, walking closer to Wrench. He uncrossed his arms to reach the counter behind him. Emma reached out to play with the edge of his vest, noticing how some studs are slightly crooked, "Cause then I get to find a way to make it up to you," She said looking up at him.

Wrench was right all along. She was the cool one and he was the nervous wreck. He became flustered at her flirting, "A-and, how w-would you do…. That?" Wrench asked, trying to keep his composure.

Emma was giggling on the inside, but she just shrugged, "Depends what he says. Is Marcus known to overreact and get defensive?" Emma asked. Wrench slowly shook his head. Emma nodded, "Hmmm well in that case," She let go of his vest and walked away a bit, "Probably just buy you a movie or something."

Wrench let his body relax once Emma walked away, but he missed her closeness. His body and mind were conflicted, and she knew, "That's not fair," He sighed, borderline whining.

Emma turned to look at him, "What? You can pick out the movie," She said innocently.

"You're evil," He immediately said.

Emma chuckled, but before she could say anything, a third voice spoke up, "Ahem."

Wrench and Emma looked over to see Scarlett walking in. Wrench immediately grabbed his mask from behind him to put it on, "The fuck are you doing here?" He asked angrily.

"Putting the mask on? It's just me, you know," Scarlett purred.

"That's exactly why," He muttered but loud enough for her to hear. He thought it was petty, but Scarlett didn't deserve to see his face anymore, "Now what are you doing here?" He asked more sternly.

Emma was still staring at the woman. She assumed this was Scarlett. She thought she looked familiar, but she'd remember someone with blue hair in a bob cut before. Something about her face, she thought. Scarlett looked between Emma and Wrench for a second before speaking up, "Just came to talk. A lot was unsaid last night because you seemed to be in such a hurry…" Scarlett turned more to Emma, "This must be your girlfriend?" She asked with a fake smile.

Emma looked down, blushing, but Wrench wasn't affected. He walked in front of Emma, shielding her from Scarlett's gaze, "You need to leave," he said. He already warned Scarlett to stay away from Emma.

Scarlett looked up at Wrench, looking sad, "Wrench… C'mon. I just came here to talk to you and you..."

"Not fooling anyone, Scar," Wrench breathed out, annoyed. Emma stepped back several steps to be away from the both of them. She leaned against a counter and crossed her arms, looking straight at the ground.

Scarlett rolled her eyes, "Look, can we please just talk?"

"I'd rather not, but whatever you need to say, you can say it right here," Wrench said gesturing around his garage, then crossed his arms.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Scarlett asked through her gritted teeth.

"Why not?" Wrench asked. He guessed it was either about Emma, or to try to seduce him.

Scarlett glared at Wrench. She wished she could at least see his facial expression to gauge how to handle the situation. She was angry and knew how to manipulate him. However she didn't need to see his face to figure it out. He was standing in front of Emma with his arms crossed. He was feeling defensive. Scarlett knew she got in his head. New plan, she thought. She lightened her glare and feigned defeat, "Ugh, FINE!" She sighed, "I just came to say sorry. I heard those rumors so I thought I was helping you."

Wrench didn't believe her, "You couldn't just text me that?"

Scarlett began to yell, "Hey, fuck you! I actually feel bad and you-!"

Wrench held his hands up, "Okay, okay, whatever, it's... fine. Can you go now?"

Scarlett frowned. She paused and eyed Emma, "And sorry for disrespecting what you have with your girlfriend."

Wrench felt awkward that Scarlett kept referring to Emma as his girlfriend. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable, especially since they barely even expressed their feelings for each other. He nodded, "Yeahyeahyeah everyone's fine, everything's all clear. So, time to go, right?" He asked.

"I can take the hint," Scarlett said and walked back to the door. Wrench was frustrated and turned to Emma for a second with symbols in his eyes, even though she just glanced over. He turned back to Scarlett, who was standing by the door, "Oh, also, sucks about Owen, but it was _really_ nice to see you again, Emelia," Scarlett sneered. Emma's heart sank.

Wrench's eyes turned into exclamation points, "Again? What do you-" He asked as he took a step toward Scarlett, but she already walked out and closed the door behind her. He was confused and turned to Emma, "What does she mean 'again'? Do you know her?" He asked carefully, but concerned.

Emma's eyes were wide, staring at the floor. Scarlett's identity dawned on her She knew she looked familiar, but the hair was different. It used to be red and her bangs didn't always cover her face. She'd remember the face anywhere now that she thought about it. Emma nodded.

"Recently? Alone? Has she-"

"Don't trust her," She muttered interrupting Wrench. She shook her head, turning to look at him. She grabbed his vest, "Wrench, please don't trust her! We have to tell Sitara!" Emma said frantically.

Wrench grabbed Emma's hands off his vest and held them, "Hey, calm down. Just… how do you know her?" He asked.

"Her and Owen would…. Fool around..." Emma answered awkwardly, looking away. She pulled her hands away from his. If she was going to have this conversation, she didn't want to be touched.

"Ew, he broke up with you for her?" Wrench asked disgusted.

Emma shook her head, "No… We were still together," She said quietly, trying not to make it sound as bad as it was.

"Oh…" Wrench said realizing what she meant, "Shit, Emma, I'm sorry."

Emma shrugged, "It happens…"

"Okay, well it shouldn't. You should be more angry about it!" Wrench said.

"I don't have the energy to still be angry about it… Just seeing her face reminded me of it," Emma said.

"Man, if I didn't want to kill him before… I'll get re-mad for you. That shit pisses me off," Wrench said.

"Yeah, well, I still stayed with him after I found out, so what does that say about me?" Emma asked crossing her arms.

"W-What?" Wrench asked.

"Yeah. She came over night after night and I could hear them fucking in our bedroom. He convinced me that I was just imagining things. And I believed him." Emma stated matter of factly. She was staring right into Wrench's mask.

Wrench was angry at Owen for taking advantage of someone like Emma. He eyed her carefully at first. Noticing it was difficult for her to admit all this stuff. It seemed like she just wanted to get it over with. Wrench took his mask off once again. He set it aside on the counter next to him and stood up. Emma eyed him when he did, but was too embarrassed to maintain eye contact, so she continued to gaze off to her side. Wrench wasn't about to force her to look at him, but he wanted to comfort her in some way. Taking off his mask would somehow even out the field he thought, "Emma…" He started.

Emma interrupted him, "I know it's stupid, but I just really wanted to believe him," She said calmly, trying to hold back tears she felt forming. She felt weak.

"It's not stupid," He said trying to comfort her.

"You know it is! You're just too nice to say it," Emma said.

"Maybe, but that doesn't matter. He's an asshole for taking advantage of you like that and that's it," Wrench said. Emma still looked down at the ground. Wrench wasn't sure if he should hug her or even touch her to comfort her.

"Scarlett might still be talking to Owen… We have to tell the others," Emma said, heading toward the door.

Wrench grabbed her wrist to stop her from advancing, "We will, but… are you sure you're okay?"

Emma pulled her wrist away, "I'm fine," She answered looking at the ground, "Can we just go?"

Wrench didn't blame her for putting up an emotional wall, but he felt rejected. He simply nodded and put his mask back on, for what he swore was going to be the last time that night.

~~~Hackerspace~~~

Sitara came walking down the stairs to see Ray looking at a laptop screen with his feet up on the table. Josh was on the adjacent side, looking at his own laptop, "Hey, what's up?" She asked.

"Bad news…" Ray began, gesturing towards Josh.

"We recovered every chat log we could, but Cyb0rg is somehow not in any of them," Josh said.

"How can that be?" Sitara asked.

"He could have hacked into us while we were recovering the chat log and deleted them," Josh said.

"That would require him to know we were trying to recover them," Sitara said.

Ray nodded, "We have a rat," He said. He didn't have to say it, but Sitara knew he was referring to Emma.

"We don't have proof," Sitara said.

"We have theories, and claims to back them up," Ray explained.

"We'll just keep an eye on her from now on… If she's the rat, we'll be able to see it," Sitara said.

"I thought she was your friend," Josh said.

"She is," Sitara confirmed.

"Would you set up something like this for Marcus or Wrench?" Josh asked.

"They'd never do this," Sitara said.

"And you said there's no proof Emma has done wrong," Josh said.

Sitara sighed, "You know, you're right. But we can't risk it. You have to understand that, right?"

"I do, but it's not fair that she doesn't get a chance to explain herself," Josh said and went back to typing on his laptop.

Sitara and Ray looked at each other. They knew he was right, but it was complicated. No one wanted Emma to be a traitor. Ray spoke up, "It's for the best."

Sitara nodded, "I know…"

The doors opened revealing Marcus. Sitara and Ray already agreed that they weren't going to tell Marcus about them keeping an extra eye on Emma, "Hey guys," He said casually.

"Hey," Sitara smiled, "You know where Wrench and Emma are?"

Marcus figured it was best if he didn't say he talked to Emma today. No details are better than some, "Saw Wrench earlier, I think he and Emma had plans or something."

Sitara smirked, "Awwww."

"Yeah, real cute. The quiet ogling each other from across the room evolved into holding hands and cuddling isn't it?" Ray groaned.

"They really don't seem the type," Marcus said.

"I think it's cute," Sitara said, "And overdue! Plus weren't you complaining about them taking forever?"

"Yeah, but I gotta play the bitter old man part, don't I?" Ray joked. Of course he was happy for Wrench. Emma seemed nice enough, assuming she wasn't a traitor. He didn't want to have to deal with that mess if she were. The door to the Hackerspace were heard opening, everyone knowing it had to be Wrench and Emma, "Oh, speak of the devil," Ray said, "Or… devils."

Everyone played it cool waiting for them to walk up to them. Sitara for a second was hoping she'd see them holding hands on their way down, but then laughed at the thought anyway. Marcus gave her a curious look, "You been pregaming?" He asked.

Sitara rolled her eyes and smiled. She turned to the stairs to see Emma marching down while Wrench was taking his time, "Sitara, I have to tell you something," Emma said quickly.

"Oh my god, let us see the ring!" Sitara said sarcastically, smirking.

"What?" Emma asked taken aback.

"Oh shit, we ruin the surprise?" Marcus asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" Emma continued.

Sitara scoffed, "If you guys don't want to invite us to the wedding, you can just say so."

"No, fuck that!" Marcus said, "I want to be the best man!"

"Guys, c'mon. We're just-" Wrench started to ask.

"Don't give us the whole, 'nooo we just fwends' shtick," Marcus said imitating them.

"The fuck kinda voice was that?" Wrench asked.

"I think that was supposed to be you," Emma smirked.

Marcus laughed, "No wait, I can do better, lend me the mask," He said holding his hand out.

Wrench smacked Marcus' hand up, "How about I do you first?"

"Oh?" Sitara asked suggestively.

"Hey, man, people already talk," Marcus said holding his hands up.

"They do?" Emma asked, covering her mouth, trying not to laugh.

"Pfft," Wrench said waving his hand, "He wishes."

"What the hell am I even listening to right now?" Ray asked himself, but loud enough for everyone else to hear.

"Actually, people were talking last night about-" Sitara began.

"Okay everyone shut-the-fuck-up!" Wrench interrupted. "That can wait, but this is serious. It's about Scarlett. We think she may be in contact with Owen."

Everyone's attention was finally at Wrench, "What do you mean?" Marcus asked.

"Wow, that uh, tone shift," He muttered at first and turned to Emma, "Em, do you want to…" He trailed off, looking at a very nervous Emma. He got the hint and looked back at the group, "Uh… Scarlett came by my garage today and Emma recognized her. Apparently she and Owen have a history," Wrench said trying to keep it vague.

"What kind of history?" Sitara asked.

"You can't trust her," Emma said.

Sitara raised a brow, "Why not?" She asked, humoring Emma.

"Her and Owen… would fool around. While he and I were together," Emma answered.

Sitara let out a single laugh, "Hun, i'm sorry to hear that, but just because they had some relations in the past, doesn't mean-"

"Scarlett was always around. _Always._ Owen wouldn't ditch her just because he left Dedsec," Emma said.

"Scarlett only wants the best for Dedsec," Sitara said shaking her head.

"You don't think Emma wants the same thing?" Wrench asked.

"Not like Scarlett!" Sitara argued.

"We do have a rat," Ray spoke up, "Would make sense if it were Scarlett," Ray said.

"No," Sitara said looking at Ray.

"What, so if it's not Scarlett, it's automatically Emma?" Wrench asked.

"Wrench, don't even," Sitara said rolling her eyes, "It wasn't that long ago when you were all over Scarlett. If tables were turned, you know you'd be saying the same shit as me."

Wrench's heart sank. If his mask wasn't already displaying X icons, he'd be showing them to express how he wished he was dead at that moment. Sitara promised him she wouldn't bring that up, especially not in front of Emma. Emma was curious what Sitara meant, but she could figure it out. She already guessed that Scarlett and Wrench had a history, she just didn't know the details, nor did she really want to. Wrench didn't know what to say, but he knew he had to say something. Marcus quickly interjected to the conversation, "Maybe we should listen to what they have to say?" Marcus offered. Wrench would thank Marcus later.

"Okay, fine. Why would Scarlett betray Dedsec?" Sitara asked, humoring the group.

"Owen. He'll say and do whatever he can to get Scarlett wrapped around his finger," Emma explained.

"Scarlett would never let that happen. You don't know her," Sitara said.

Emma glared, feeling like Sitara just insulted her, "You don't know Owen."

"Haven't we been over this?" Ray asked.

"And we'll keep going over it until you understand," Emma glared at Ray. She was tired of it. Emma spent years with Owen, seeing him every day. Even if he did put up a front, she knew him.

"Just because he tricked you, doesn't mean Scarlett will fall for his games," Sitara said.

"Sitara…" Wrench said quietly. After what Emma briefly told him, he felt this wasn't the right conversation to have.

"Look," Emma spoke up, "Maybe I was gullible back then," Wrench didn't like that she was still blaming herself for what Owen did to her, "But this has nothing to do with that. You know the Dedsec Scarlett, but I know the one who associates herself with Owen. If she's not being manipulated by him, then she's working with him willingly, and that's more dangerous."

"How can we be sure she is talking to him?" Marcus asked.

"I feel like this will be pointless to say, but you have to trust me on this," Emma said.

"She is," Josh spoke up. Everyone stood silent and looked over to Josh who was scrolling through data on his computer. He turned to everyone when he didn't hear a response, "I found something."

Everyone quickly rushed toward Josh except for Emma. She stood her ground for a second, not feeling welcome, but she slowly made her way to the group, "Something on Owen?" Marcus asked.

"While you guys were interrogating Emma, I looked into Scarlett's chat log," Josh began, "All messages by Owen have been deleted, probably by himself, but hers are still there," He said. The screen showed an entire chat log with just Scarlett's name and text.

"Oh shit!" Marcus called out, "Josh, you're amazing, man!" He put both hands on Josh's shoulders, which Josh immediately shrugged off. Sitara moved Josh's hands away from the keyboard so she could go through the messages.

 _Scarlett21: Dedsec has no idea._

 _Scarlett21: As long as Sitara trusts me, we're in._

 _Scarlett21: They keep recruiting amateurs, Dedsec will fall._

"I KNEW it! That devil woman!" Wrench shouted, angry icons on his mask. Emma put her hand on his arm, making him calm down, for Sitara's sake.

"I can't believe it…." Sitara said. She sounded heart broken. Scarlett could have been considered one of her best friends, so seeing her name next to anti-Dedsec comments felt like a stab in the back. Sitara slammed her fist on the desk, making Josh cringe, "That BITCH!" She backed up and shook her head, "She fucking played me."

"Yeah, it's what she does," Wrench muttered, crossing his arms. Emma wondered how well he really knew Scarlett, but decided to worry about it later. That moment was about Sitara.

"Wait, could she be setting us up?" Marcus asked, "That channel doesn't seem that secure."

"It was a private server, but when Cyb0rg hacked in to delete it, it left an opening that Josh and I were able to find," Ray answered.

Sitara looked at Emma, "Did she say anything to you?"

Emma shook her head, "She just said it was nice to see me again. That's when I remembered who she was. She looked different before."

"She knows," Sitara said, "She was hoping you'd remember her and tell us."

"I saw it more as she was trying to instigate me," Emma said, "I think she'd want to keep her alliance with Dedsec safe."

"That's a good point. Why expose herself like that?" Marcus asked.

"Maybe she wants to create a rift between us and Emma. No one knows we have these chat logs," Ray said pointing to the screen, "Without these, for all we'd know, you could be making this up."

Sitara nodded, "She's already been trying to create a rift… Emma," Sitara said looking over to her, "I'm sorry," Sitara said sincerely.

"It's okay. You were just trying to protect Dedsec. I understand," Emma said with a smile, "But what purpose would she have to make you guys not trust me?"

"To keep Owen safe, I imagine," Marcus shrugged.

Ray patted Sitara's shoulder, "Well now we know who the rat is. Let's focus on that," He said and walked over to the fridge to grab a beer, "And maybe we can celebrate our new breakthrough. We're getting closer, kids!"

Sitara nodded, "And I have an idea," Sitara said maliciously and walked over to the table to open up her laptop. Everyone began to follow her, but Wrench and Emma stood their ground. Josh walked by and Emma stopped him.

"Josh… thank you," She said.

"For what?" He asked.

"I don't think she would have ever believed me about Scarlett… Thanks for looking it up. You really had my back," Emma explained, smiling.

"Oh," Josh answered, "You're welcome for that. But we still have a lot left to do," Josh answered.

"Yeah," Emma nodded and let Josh walk away. Emma turned to see Wrench's mask changing expressions. Wrench was both excited and angry at the same time. Angry that Scarlett was able to play Dedsec for so long, but excited that she was finally exposed. Emma raised an eyebrow, "You, uh… got something to say?" Emma asked humorously.

Wrench stopped the changing icons to regular smile icons and looked at Emma, "So much I wouldn't even know where to begin," He said eagerly.

Emma chuckled, "Well, you got all night," She said and forced a smiled, but it wavered. She thought about the comments about Scarlett and it made her paranoid.

Wrench noticed, "Hey listen, about what Sitara said about, uh... me and Scarlett..."

Emma held a hand up, making him pause, "Hey, it's fine. We just kissed, right? Not like it means anything." She didn't like where the conversation could have ended. Better to go out on her terms than be rejected, she thought.

Wrench felt like he got slapped in the face, but played it cool, "Y-yeah," He said quietly and cleared his throat, "Totally," He said, more confidently.

Wrench's agreement hurt Emma, but she tried not to show it. Was it really nothing more? Marcus came up and put both his arms over their shoulders, "What are we whispering about?" He asked cheekily.

"Nothing," Emma answered quietly. She shrugged Marcus' arm off her shoulders and quietly walked over to the table to sit next to Sitara.

Marcus let his arm drop off of Wrench's shoulders too and looked at him in the mask. Wrench's mask displayed two angry icons and Marcus whispered an apology. They both walked over to the table, Wrench sitting across from Emma. He was once again glad that no one could really see his face behind the mask. He tried to read Emma's face, wondering what she was thinking. Ray looked between Wrench and Emma, "Uh oh, they're already fighting," Ray muttered to Sitara.

Sitara ignored him and looked to Wrench, "Flirt with Scarlett."

"Fuuuuuck that!" Wrench immediately piped in.

"Hear me out," Sitara started.

"Sitara, there's nothing you could say that would make me think this is a good idea," Wrench said.

"Wrench, we need you to cooperate, just for a second-" Sitara continued trying.

"Look, you know I'd do anything. Just not that," Wrench said.

Sitara turned to Emma, "Emma, you'd understand, right?"

Wrench interrupted, "This has nothing to do with her. I'M saying no."

"I like this idea, though. Keeping her close," Ray said.

"Is there anyone else that can do it?" Marcus asked, "Sitara, you and her are friends."

"There's only so much our friendship goes. It's mostly professional and she's not going to give a shit if I flirt with her," Sitara said.

"She only tries to get close to people if it's convenient for her," Wrench said, annoyed.

"And she started talking to you again, so clearly she needs something. Play along!" Sitara said.

"To what extent, Sitara?" Wrench asked, angry icons displaying on his mask, "Until I wake up bound and gagged in a trunk somewhere in Syria?"

"Well…" Sitara pretended to think about it.

Wrench's eyes turned into exclamation points, "Really?!"

"I'm kidding! No! God, Wrench, she's not that psychotic," Sitara said.

"I'd like to argue that," Wrench said.

"She's definitely above the slash-your-tires type of psycho," Ray said.

"How the fuck would you know?" Wrench asked, sounding slightly offended, even if he didn't mean it.

"Call it a sixth sense. I can see crazy from a mile away," Ray answered.

"You think you could use that sixth sense to track down Cyb0rg?" Marcus asked.

Ray shrugged, "Works on women only. No can do," he joked then looked at Wrench, "Guess we're back to you. Wrench, we're counting on you, buddy."

"Once again, i'm saying 'fuck no', and just like that we're back at square one!" Wrench said and leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. He was angry and annoyed, but tried his best not to cause a scene. Had Emma not been there, he probably would have been throwing chairs around. Emma… his eyes lingered on her for a moment and realized she hadn't looked up or said a single word since they all sat down at the table.

Sitara noticed where his head was facing and improvised, "Wrench, c'mon! It's our best shot at tracking down Cyb0rg. Don't think of it as actually flirting with Scarlett. Think of it as helping Emma here," Sitara smiled and threw an arm around Emma, hugging her.

Wrench's eyes still focused on her. She looked uncomfortable. It was written on her face, even if she was looking down the whole time. He could tell Emma didn't want to be bait for Sitara's plan, and neither did Wrench. He stood up, "No. You're gonna have to find a new plan," He said and turned around, kicking the chair out of his way to the stairs. Maybe he couldn't help the physical aggression, after all. Emma finally looked up at the commotion to see Wrench leaving.

"Wrench!" Sitara called out, removing her arm from Emma. Wrench ignored her and the door to the hackerspace was heard locking up behind him.

"Way to go, you got Plan A to leave," Ray said.

"I didn't see you helping!" She said.

Marcus held out a hand, "Wait a minute... So if she's suddenly trying to get back into Wrench's business, that means…." He trailed off looking at Emma, "She's after you." Emma picked up on that earlier, but didn't want to put attention on her. She shook her head, staying silent. Marcus continued, "Like you said, Scarlett knew that you would tell us. She assumed Wrench would take your side. So when they try to frame Emma for more shit, it'll create a rift not only between you guys, but all of us. Scarlett is trying to take Dedsec down from within!"

"That's impossible," Ray suggested.

"Maybe, but it'd at least divide us. Two weaker Dedsecs are easier to take down than one strong one," Marcus said.

"But what would her end game with that be? There would still be a Dedsec and in no universe would she be a leader of one," Sitara asked.

They were going in circles, Emma thought. Scarlett made herself a decoy, but Emma wasn't about to bring it up and start a new argument. They could figure that out themselves. Her plan was still to get information out of Sam. She was proud she had her own secret back up plan.

Emma stopped paying attention All she could focus on was Wrench. She wanted to see him and talk to him. Emma stood up silently, but no one noticed. She was ready to use a bathroom excuse, but thankfully she didn't need to. Emma walked up the stairs, the voices fading, making her feel relieved. Opening the door to the game store, she was expecting Wrench to be sitting there. No such luck. She sighed and walked out the door, remembering to lock up on her way out. The street was empty, and the only sounds she could hear was the wind rustling the trees softly. What a relief, she smiled. She turned down the street to walk home.

"Going home?" She heard. Emma jumped lightly and turned around quickly only to see Wrench sitting in the alley, along the game store's building. He brought up smiling eyes on his mask, "Didn't mean to scare you."

Emma shook her head, "It's okay, it was just so quiet," She walked over and sat in the alley, sitting across from him, "What are you doing here?" She asked, forgetting to answer his question.

Wrench couldn't bring himself to tell her why exactly so he shrugged, "Getting some fresh air."

Emma looked down feeling awkward suddenly, "They're focusing too much on Scarlett… That was her plan. They're ignoring the bigger picture…" She said, face scrunched, trying not to cry. Emma kept her head slightly turned down, but she lifted her eyes up to look at him. He was slouching against the wall slightly with his arms crossed. One leg stretched out, the other with the knee bent. She couldn't really point out what she thought was so attractive about him at the moment. He looked the same as he always did.

"I know. They won't listen right now. New information is always like this. Just gotta wait it out," Wrench said. He'd normally be arguing in circles with them, coming up with his own solutions for people to shoot down. That night he didn't have it in him. Emma said and sat down in the alley, across from Wrench. Her knees were to her chest. Wrench eyed her, noticing she still looked as uncomfortable as before, "Sorry it was so awkward in there," He said, not sure why he was apologizing.

"No, it's okay. Sorry they tried to put you in that position," Emma said back.

"Why are _we_ apologizing?" Wrench asked out loud.

Emma smirked, "Cause if we don't, who knows if they will."

Wrench felt like he did have something to apologize to Emma for, unrelated to Sitara's plans, "Look, about Scarlett-"

"N-no, really, you don't have to explain," Emma interrupted.

"I know, but I want to," He said. Emma paid careful attention, giving Wrench the clue to continue, "Few years ago, Scarlett was still kind of new to Dedsec. She was always talking to me and flirting with me. I've never been good with girls, so I guess I liked the attention. When I wanted to make it official, she just stopped talking to me. Turns out, she was just trying to get on Dedsec's good side. You know, getting all the important missions, making everyone trust her and think she was a better hacker than others."

"So she manipulated and used you, too," Emma said.

Wrench nodded, "Yeah. She acted all nice around me, too. No one else really liked her personality and I couldn't understand why. But eventually her act dropped entirely."

"She was talking to Owen a few years ago, too. Maybe she was using a bunch of people," Emma said.

"Yeah, seems so," Wrench said quietly.

"I'm sorry…" Emma said once again.

"Nah, it doesn't bother me now. I can't stand the woman, but any sadness I felt about her ditching me just turned into anger when I see her. I see corporations do this shit all the time. CEOs just circle jerk each other into being worse than the guy next to him… but when it's one person, especially one that you think you know, it gives it a totally different perspective," Wrench said.

"Yeah, I thought I knew Owen down to his very core. I still wonder what part of our relationship was even real, and what the point of it all was," Emma said.

"Yeah, doesn't help the trust issues, either," Wrench said lightly.

Emma smiled sadly. She understood what he was saying, "Does Sitara even know all this?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, I told her. She just sees it as having a crazy one-sided crush on her. But, she wasn't there."

"Maybe she believes you now," Emma said.

"Doesn't really matter. I'm just happy Scarlett's finally getting what she deserves," Wrench said.

"Her and Owen both," Emma said.

There was a comfortable silence between the two. They never quite had a conversation like that before where they were both so open with each other. Emma still felt like she was closing herself off, she could only guess Wrench felt the same, "You think they even care we left?" Wrench asked.

Emma shrugged, "We should probably leave before they start looking for us. It's a nice night, you want to uh… go for a walk? Or something?" Emma asked.

Wrench smiled through his mask and stood up, offering a hand to Emma, "I got something even better." Emma smiled and grabbed his hand, allowing him to lift her up, a little too close to him. This was the closest they've been since last night. The time at the garage just felt friendly, at least to Emma. He enjoyed the closeness, but he knew he had to keep his distance for his sake, "C'mon," He said quietly walking away from her, down the street.

When Wrench stepped away, Emma didn't want to admit how let down she felt. She was expecting too much, surely. Maybe last night _was_ only a kiss, she thought. Ignoring the chance to start a self-loathing session, she instead turned to follow Wrench, "Where we going?" She asked.

"You'll see…" He said looking down each alley, "Should be in one of these…" He muttered.

"What are you looking for?" Emma asked.

"You'll see," Wrench said continuing to look down alleys, started to get frustrated, "Where the fuck did he put it?" He asked "It should have been here."

"You know, if you tell me what you're looking for, I might be able to help," Emma said. Wrench groaned and walked into the alley, Emma following him cautiously, "You know… most people wouldn't follow you in an alley-"

"Ah hah!" Wrench cheered, interrupting Emma.

Emma looked up to see a climbax machine tucked behind a building, "This?" She asked.

Wrench walked over to the climbax and lifted himself up, hoping over the edge. Emma just realized how athletic he must have been. He looked back over to Emma and held his hand out, "Come on down!" He said in a mock-announcer voice. Emma was apprehensive but grabbed the edge and pulled herself up, not accepting his hand to help her. He pulled his hand back and pulled out his phone, "Hang on," He said and hit a button on his phone.

The climbax jerked around causing Emma to stumble forward into Wrench. The climbax was still going up but steadied itself, "Some warning," She said letting go of Wrench and grabbing the rail.

Wrench chuckled, "I said to hang on!"

"Yeah, and maybe I meant to hang on to you," She muttered.

"I wasn't complaining," He said humorously.

The climbax reached the top. Wrench hopped over the rail first, Emma following over, "Are we even allowed up here?"

Wrench shrugged, "We're not trespassing."

"You know all the loopholes, don't you?" Emma asked and sat on the stone ledge, looking over to the ocean.

"I know San Francisco like the back of my hand, remember?" He repeated from a previous night. He walked to the other side of the building, looking off into the city. He leaned against the stone guard that was lining the edge of the building, "Plus, knowing the loopholes gets me out of legal troubles," He winked.

Emma followed him and smirked, "Had practice dealing with legal troubles?"

"Listen, it happens to the best of us. You'd know!" He said, hoping it wasn't a sore subject for her.

"You ever been arrested?" She asked.

Wrench shrugged, "Got taken in by the FBI once. Does that count?"

Emma snapped her head to him, "How was that?" She asked, trying to hide her concern.

"About how you'd think," He tried to answer casually. He didn't want to relive that situation, but it was hard to forget. Emma still looked at him, looking off into the distance, opposite of her. He had his arms crossed, leaning back on the stone edge. She wondering if he was angry with her. He wasn't looking at her, and she wasn't going to force it, "Hey, um..." she began, "It was… more than _just_ a kiss… right?" She asked carefully.

He looked over to her, his mask blank, which only worried Emma further. Maybe she shouldn't have asked. Before she could take back the question, he spoke up, "It was to me," he confirmed quietly.

Emma smiled softly, not tearing her eyes away from him, even though she had no idea what expression he had under his still blank mask, "Me too," She said redundantly.

Wrench turned his head away from Emma to look down at the ground in front of him. There was a comfortable silence between them as he thought about how he was going to word his next sentence, "I thought it was maybe it was too soon…" He began, Emma's heart dropping. He continued, "I wanted to wait until after this whole Owen thing was over. I didn't really know if you liked me back, and I didn't want to bug you or distract you or anything. You had your own problems to deal with, and I wasn't about to add mine to that list, too," He said.

Emma couldn't believe it. He wanted to wait for her sake. He was being completely selfless to his own feelings and respected her enough not to overwhelm her, "That's so sweet," She muttered to herself, stunned. But she was upset that he didn't think she cared enough about him.

Wrench didn't hear her say anything, "You already seem to be okay with the mask thing, but there's more, and it's not fair to put it all on you, especially right now and-"

"Wrench," She interrupted, reaching over to touch his arm. He seemed to tense up a bit when she did, so she slowly retracted her arm, "That's so sweet of you... " She couldn't help but repeat with a wide grin.

Wrench outstretched his arms, "Right?! I thought it was a good thing! Marcus told me to I should have made a move like day one!"

Emma chuckled, admiring how proud he suddenly was, "I think waiting let us get to know each other better anyway," She said. She reached over again to grab one of his hands that were at his side, "I'm glad to know you Wrench. You're a very welcome distraction," She said. She wanted to say so much more, but she wanted to keep it short not to overwhelm him as well, "I'll gladly add your problems to my list. We're in this together, now… right?"

Wrench couldn't process the music that was going through his ears. Did Emma really just admit that she'd accept his problems? "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into," Wrench said squeezing her hand.

"You scared?" She asked coyly.

"Terrified," He answered honestly.

Emma let go of his hand briefly to move and stand right in front of him. She reached her hands up to rest softly against the sides of his face, "Can I take your mask off?" She asked softly. Wrench nodded slowly, his mask still blank. She reached into his hood to take his mask off, only to realize she didn't know how to. She groaned, "Help?"

Wrench chuckled and brought up his hands, resting them on Emma, "There's buttons here," He said and guided her index fingers to glide over the part that will unhatch his mask.

Emma's heart fluttered when his hands were on hers, moving them how he wanted them to move. Once the hatch came undone and the mask started to get loose, he slowly brought his hands back down. Emma held the mask and pulled it off, carefully. She knew Wrench had trust issues, and she didn't want to take for granted the amount of trust he had in her, handling the mask. She lowered the mask to be in between them, but still maintaining eye contact with Wrench. She smiled. He smiled lightly with her, feeling nervous. He grabbed the mask from Emma and set it down on the stone ledge that he was leaning on.

"Do you ever get tired wearing it?" Emma asked softly.

"Not really. It's a part of me," He answered.

"You seem different when it's off," Emma said. She was hoping she wasn't overstepping her boundaries.

"It's a _big_ part of me," Wrench added.

Emma smiled kindly, glad he didn't take what she said the wrong way, "But do you feel okay without it?"

Wrench thought about it for a moment, studying Emma's face for a moment. "I do around you."

Emma took a step forward, closing the remaining distance between them. Wrench watched as she moved her hands up to rest on his chest, under the vest. "Good," Emma said, smiling.

Wrench put his hands on her waist, holding her close to him. "You really don't know what you're getting yourself into," He repeated, staring deep into her eyes, trying to find any fear or doubt that was reflecting off his own insecurities. He was scared. Of course he liked Emma, but he doubted himself. He thought he wasn't good enough for her. She seemed okay with his problems, she even said so himself, but he didn't feel like he could believe it.

"A little too late for that, don't you think?" She asked.

"You can walk away and I won't hold it against you," Wrench said.

"You trying to get rid of me already?" Emma asked, jokingly.

"No! I-" Wrench said immediately.

"Hey," Emma interrupted and moved a hand what was resting on his chest, to the side of his neck, "I'm not going anywhere," She said gently.

Wrench leaned down to kiss her. It was a slow, gentle kiss. They were both still nervous about what was happening between the two of them. Emma couldn't help but think that maybe she couldn't be as strong for Wrench as he needed. Wrench worried he wasn't good enough for Emma. But they worried less and less as their kiss got more passionate. Emma wrapped both her arms around his neck, while Wrench let his hands move from her sides, to wrap around her back.

Sure enough, Marcus and Sitara walked out of their hideout to walk down the street. Marcus stopped the both of them when he spotted Wrench and Emma on the rooftop a few blocks down. He put his finger to his lip to shush Sitara then pointed up at the rooftop. Sitara grinned and Marcus nodded, as they started approaching. Once they got close enough, Marcus called out, "So that's where you went!" along with Sitara cheering.

Wrench and Emma immediately broke their kiss and let go of each other, but they maintained their closeness, "Okay, are you like stalking us?!" Wrench shouted back.

Sitara laughed, "Not my fault you're shoving your PDA down our throats like you shove your tongue down-"

"Going home, Sitara?!" Emma interrupted with a shriek, her face turning red.

"Yup. Should I even wait up for you?" Sitara asked, suggestively.

"Uhh," Emma muttered and looked up to make eye contact with Wrench. They both blushed and finally stepped away from each other. Emma turned her side to Wrench as he grabbed his mask off the ledge and stepped away, toward the climbax, "N-no, i'll be right there," She answered. She walked away from the ledge, following Wrench, who was waiting, "I should go with her… make sure she's really okay. Scarlett was her friend, too, after all..."

Wrench couldn't help but want to be selfish and spend more time with her, but he agreed without hesitation. He wanted Sitara to be okay, too, "Good idea."

Emma grabbed his hand one last time that night, "Hey, thanks for telling me about the whole Scarlett thing," Emma said. She knew how vulnerable he must have felt talking about it, "And i'm sorry I got jealous."

Wrench chuckled, "Yeah, you have nothing to worry about, I promise."

"I know," She said, trusting him.

"I just really don't want to screw this up," Wrench said squeezing her hand lightly.

"You won't," Emma smiled. They hoped up on the climbax, riding it down while Wrench put on his mask. Once they stepped off, Emma spoke up again. "Oh, and I think you're pretty good with girls."

Wrench let out a single chuckle, "Oh, yeah?"

Emma shrugged, "With me at least."

"Well, good thing your opinion's the only one that really matters," Wrench said and winked through his mask. Emma blushed. He didn't have to say much to make her feel special.

They walked out from the alley to be greeted by Marcus, "Ayyee, and they made up! Awwww," He cheered.

"Okay, thanks DAD," Wrench teased only to get a chuckle from Marcus.

Emma looked down the road to see Sitara already heading home, "I'll see you guys later?" Emma asked, pointing her thumb over in her direction. Wrench nodded, "Alright, goodnight," She smiled, eyes lingering on Wrench's mask a few extra seconds longer before turning around to follow Sitara.

Marcus waited a few moments before Emma was out of listening range, "Ahhhhh," He quietly shrieked as he kept lightly throwing jabs in Wrench's abdomen, "You twooooo."

"Yeah, Yeah," Wrench said pretending to sound annoyed while trying to protect himself from the jabs. His mask changed expressions doing so, but they managed to linger on a smiling face, "So what'd you guys figure out?" Wrench asked.

"We were all getting kind of heated over the topic, so we'll worry about it later. Sitara and Josh are going to go through her logs first," Marcus answered. But Wrench worried about it then. He knew Sitara's idea was still her go-to plan. He didn't want to be a pawn, but he didn't want to be around Scarlett even more. He thought maybe it'd be worth it for Emma's sake, after all. He wanted to say he'd be able to do anything for Emma. He'd think up a better plan. Scarlett wasn't the priority anyway. Why bother with the middleman when you can go straight to the source? Wrench thought. They were wasting time. The goal was still Cyb0rg. Not Scarlett.


	10. 10 - Brick Wall

Emma didn't know how long she was spaced out for, but the next thing she knew, someone was calling out to her. She blinked a few times and remembered she was in a coffee house. She smiled and walked up the employee, picking a random thing on the menu. When Emma handed the employee the money, he shook his head.

"That woman in the corner over there already paid for your order, we'll call you when it's ready," He said smiling.

Emma raised a brow, not sure if he was serious. She turned over her shoulder to look in the corner. Her stomach sunk as her eyes settled on Scarlett. She stood out like the sore thumb with her blue hair. Scarlett was smirking, her eyes evil as if she were staring at her prey. Emma stared back at her. She was wondering why she wasn't saying anything. She should leave, Emma thought. Nothing good can come out of talking to Scarlett. Screw the free drink. She didn't even remember what she ordered. Emma finally tore her eyes away from Scarlett and started to head for the door, only to be interrupted by a tall man in a suit blocking her path. He locked the door. Emma looked at Scarlett. She chuckled, "What the hell does he even see in you?" She asked.

Emma scrunched her eyebrows together. They couldn't lock her in there. She had to tell the manager. Emma turned to face the counter, ready to cry for help, but there was no counter. She saw a dark warehouse. Where was she? She started hearing footsteps echoing loudly behind her. She whipped her head back behind her, turning back to the tall man and the door.

There was no tall man and there was no door. But the footsteps stopped.

"Aren't you tired of hiding?" A voice asked from behind her. But she knew the voice. It was Owen's. Of course she'd recognized it. He was right there. Where was Dedsec?

She turned around to face Owen only to see down the barrel of a gun.

Emma snapped her eyes open. She didn't even realize they were closed. Except this time, she was looking at a ceiling fan. She sat up, wondering why she was laying down. Her mind steadied, "Just a dream…" She realized. It was so normal. Her usual dreams consist of opening her closet and going down a waterslide, only to land on the set of Seinfeld. Except the cast was KISS, only it didn't really look like KISS, but she knew it was KISS.

Emma turned to check the clock. 7am. She decided she wasn't going to get anymore sleep and got out of bed to make coffee. At home, where no one could find her.

~~~San Francisco Rooftop~~~

Wrench was looking through the scope of a rifle, eyeing the group of buildings they previously believed to be Cyb0rg's headquarters. Men were packing items into a van. He couldn't confirm if they belonged to Cyb0rg's gang or not, but he wanted to watch all activity in that circle. Someone got into the driver's seat of a van and began to start it up. As it did, Wrench pulled the trigger of the rifle, shooting a tracking device covered in putty, at the top of the van. He seemed to have timed it right since no one noticed the putty impact. It wasn't a high power rifle nor was he that far away for it to make too much noise. Wrench turned on his comm channel, "Alright, we got one going out. It's heading west down Beaker street," He said and let Marcus cover the second part.

"Got it," Marcus confirmed on the comm channel.

Wrench backed up from the rifle and stood up straight. He casually grabbed the rifle from the ledge and shoved it into guitar case that was leaning against the ledge. He turned around to leave, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who was standing behind him.

Scarlet was leaning by the stairwell door, arms crossed. She smirked, "Going home?"

"Oh god, what do you want?" Wrench said annoyed, dropping his arms.

"Thought you could use some help," She said, crossing her arms.

"Don't need it, but thanks! Bye, Scarlett!" Wrench said. He threw the guitar case strap over his shoulder and started heading the door, attempting to leave.

Scarlett slid against the wall to stand in front of the door, blocking his exit, "You're not going to ask how I can help?" She asked.

Wrench ignored what she said and groaned, "Can you move?"

"Can _you_ just give me a few minutes?" Scarlett asked.

Wrench sighed and walked to the side of the ledge, trying to lure her away from the door, "You have 5 seconds."

Scarlett smiled, but didn't move, "I'm not moving."

"5….4…" Wrench began to count, but knew Scarlett wouldn't budge, "3…." He said more annoyed, "2 - Seriously, I have things to do, you need to-"

"Well I'll let you leave once you listen to what I have to say," Scarlett said.

"Let me?" Wrench questioned with disbelief, "Let me!?" He shouted, "I didn't realize you were the authority on bank roofs!"

"Hotel," Scarlett corrected.

"Not the point!" Wrench shouted, "I have to leave and I don't want to talk to you. Actually, wait, you know what? I don't need the stairs," He mused and walked to the edge. He brought out his phone to hack into a tower crane.

"Do you seriously hate me more than you like Emelia?" Scarlett asked incredulously.

"No, see, I _hate_ pharmaceutical companies. There isn't a word to describe my feelings about you," Wrench said.

"Aw, how sweet," Scarlett said sarcastically. Wrench glared. Both behind and on the mask. He continued to walk towards the crane. Scarlett rolled her eyes, "Jesus Christ, Wrench! You're like the kid who got rejected in high school and holds a grudge for 20 years. Get over it!"

"Oh yeah, let's bring up high school," He said under his breath, "That'll make Wrench want to listen to me!" He said mocking Scarlett.

"I didn't mean it like that," Scarlett rolled her eyes, "I'm sorry. Please, would you just listen?"

"I don't trust you for a second, you know that, right?" Wrench asked.

"What have I ever done to make you not trust me?" Scarlett asked.

"I don't have time to list it all, Scar," Wrench answered.

"Wrench," Scarlett sighed.

Wrench was half tempted to hit her with the rifle, but realized that would cause more trouble than help. Wrench sighed, "What do you know?" He asked.

Scarlett smiled, "Really?" She asked optimistically.

"Why do you even want to help?" Wrench just thought of asking.

Scarlett chewed the inside of her cheek for a second, "Just trying to reconcile. I feel bad we had a falling out," She said rolling her eyes.

"Oh, you sound so apologetic," Wrench said sarcastically.

Scarlett glared at him but ignored his comment, "I assume she told you about our history," Scarlett said.

"With Owen? Yeah. Coincidentally around the same time you started to talk to me," Wrench said.

"Okay, is this about you or Emelia right now?" Scarlett asked sharply.

"I don't know, why don't you tell me," He waved.

Scarlett glared, "Anyway...Owen and I dropped contact once he quit Dedsec. He recently messaged me asking to keep tabs on you guys and what you were planning on doing for Emelia," Scarlett said.

"Have you?" Wrench asked.

"Of course," She said flatly.

"So you admit it!" Wrench said.

"Relax, I haven't told him anything. Nothing correct, anyway," Scarlett said, "But saying no to "Cyb0rg" or losing his trust is just asking for a death sentence."

"We found chat logs between you guys. You're telling me it was all an act?" Wrench asked.

"More or less," Scarlett shrugged, pulling out a cigarette.

"So what was all that about Emma being a traitor?" Wrench asked.

"I had to make it believable. Owen's got ears almost everywhere," Scarlett said.

"ALMOST everywhere? Where's safe?" Wrench asked.

"This rooftop," Scarlett answered.

"And?" Wrench asked, urging her to continue. Surely there were more places. Places that Emma has been where Owen wasn't spying on her.

Scarlett slowly turned to face Wrench, "That rooftop," She said nodding her head in a direction. It didn't matter which direction. Wrench knew what she meant. The safe list was a very, very, short list.

"How does he cover so much ground?" Wrench asked. He couldn't believe he was listening to a word she was saying, but it made sense.

"Blume has him protected. Nudle, too. While you guys were busy fighting off Dusan Nemec, Owen took that opportunity to work under the radar," Scarlett said.

"So we were inadvertently helping him," Wrench stated.

"Yup. He's no Prime_Eight, who harass the public and make themselves known. Owen's a low key kind of guy," Scarlett said. Wrench didn't respond. He sighed and threw his head back. Scarlett put out her cigarette, "I know it's not what you want to hear. But whatever it's worth, you can trust me," Scarlett said.

Wrench wanted to believe her. But he knew Scarlett. He was sure he did. And the Scarlett he knew wasn't worth trusting. She was just giving him a false sense of security so she can strike when they least expect it. But he would play along. Wrench nodded, "Sure." He didn't trust her.

~~~San Francisco County Jail - A few hours later ~~~

Emma waited. She had a good feeling about the current visit. However, she was still eager to get it over with. The rustling beyond the glass snapped her attention back up. Emma looked up to see Sam sitting down. His face was covered in bruises.

"You say the wrong thing to someone?" Emma joked, trying to make light of the situation. Sam shook his head, dismissing the joke, but Emma could see through his eyes that he was holding something back, "Sam?" She asked, kindly.

"He came here…" He said quietly.

"He?" Emma asked.

"You know," Sam said.

Owen. Emma was not expecting the conversation to go this way, "What did he…? Did he do that to you?" She asked. Stupid question, she knew, but she didn't know what else to ask.

"A lot of prisoners are in here because of hackers like Dedsec… And when they found out I was working with them, well… You can figure that out," Sam said.

At first, Emma wanted to apologize. But she stopped herself, "Did you tell him anything?" Emma asked. She felt bad not sharing her sympathy, but she needed to let Sam know she was in charge.

"The more you come visit me, the more you're putting your friends in danger. Stay. Away. From Me," Sam said and hung up.

Emma stood up, "Wait, Sam!" She called out but it was too late, "You fucking coward…" She muttered under her breathe as she hung up and stormed out. She went up to the visitor sheet to quickly sign out. The receptionist in front of her eyed her. She was an older lady with resting bitch face. But when she smiled, she looked like she just wanted to bake you cookies.

"Have a nice day, ma'am," The receptionist said with a bright face. She slid a small folded piece of paper next to Emma's hand. Emma looked down at the paper and then looked up at the receptionist. The woman smiled and looked back down at her own paperwork, going back to resting bitch face. Emma took the note and without further eye contact, walked out.

Outside, Emma was greeted with the sun blinding her. She squinted her eyes. It was December and she wondered why it was still so bright. Emma went down the steps and started to head down the street. Emma took this opportunity to look down at the folded piece of paper in her hand. She figured there was a reason the sign in receptionist was so secretive about the note. Maybe it was her phone number. Emma laughed at herself. There was no way.

 _Fleishhacker_

The note said. Fleishhacker? Emma's never heard of the term. But then again, she wasn't that familiar with San Francisco. Dedsec would know, but how would she explain this to them? She could always try to ask Marcus. It would prove to him that she was making progress all alone. Unless it was a trap. She wouldn't want anyone to get hurt on her behalf. Maybe Owen set this trap. He was always on top of things. He would know her progress. He'd have to. She suddenly started feeling uneasy, like someone was watching her. The crowd walking around her felt normal, but something wasn't right. Emma stopped walking and slowly turned around. In the distance, she saw Owen, standing among the crowd that was walking past him. Emma's eyes widened and her heart started racing. Her first instinct was to get away from him as fast as possible, but she couldn't move. Her body refused. Someone ran into her, shoving her forward, finally tearing her attention away from Owen.

"Watch it!" The rude stranger said, glaring at her.

"S-sorry…." She muttered quietly, but her attention turned back to where Owen was. He was gone. Emma looked around frantically, guessing he moved. He had to be there. She couldn't have imagined him. She was sure of it. Emma continued walking forward, hopefully away from where Owen was.

Emma turned the corner, deciding to go to Wrench's garage. She was scared and she wanted to see him. But what if Owen was following her? She thought. And just as she did, she stopped dead in her tracks. She couldn't lead him to Wrench's garage. The guy who ran into her… He could have just walked passed her, but no, he made it a purpose to run into her, literally. San Francisco isn't known to be the kindest city, but still. She dropped her backpack, and tore off her jacket, feeling the chill of the wind as soon as she did. It was late into November; it wasn't exactly tank top weather. Not in San Francisco. She checked her jacket for anything suspicious. A tracker, a microphone… but she didn't know what she was looking for. She kneeled down and went into her backpack to grab her phone and wallet, which she put into her back pocket. All else Emma had in there was her capsule gun. She took out all the pieces of ammo she had in her backpack, and hid those in her pocket as well. She stood up and threw out her jacket and back pack. Without a second further, she marched away and headed to her destination, fighting back the tears that were forming.

~~~ Wrench's Garage ~~~

Wrench was crouched down fiddling with a bot he was modifying. 6 months ago, they turned a security robot they stole from Haum and turned it into an EMP bomb. This time, they wanted to do something similar once they found Owen's lab. Wrench was able to dissect the tech that they used, and applied what he learned to turn an RC car into that specific weapon.

One problem was that they never tried it before. As Wrench was soldering and screwing pieces together, Marcus stood further back holding a fire extinguisher, keeping it ready.

Emma came running up to the garage and stopped when she noticed the door was open. Wrench's back was turned to her, clearly busy making all kinds of noises with a power drill. But Marcus noticed her walk in. He smiled and tilted his head up in a greeting. Emma meekly smiled back and turned her attention back to Wrench. Her nerves over seeing Owen were still going haywire, but she could feel herself calming down once her eyes set on Wrench. Being in his presence made her feel…. Safe? She guessed. She furrowed her eyebrows. Was it specifically Wrench, or was it just not being alone?

Marcus strolled up next to her, "Wanna trade shifts? This thing's getting heavy," He joked. He had to slightly shout over the sound of the power drill.

Emma chuckled, "No thanks. What are you guys doing, anyway?" She asked, also raising her voice slightly.

"Making a bomb," Marcus said.

"A bomb," She repeated.

"Well, we're hoping. He doesn't really know what he's doing, which is why we have this," Marcus said raising the fire extinguisher.

Emma smiled. Wrench stopped drilling, "None-of-this-makes-any-fucking-sense!" He said quickly as if it was just one word. He looked over next to him to refer to a notebook full of diagrams, "This is supposed to….AHHH FUCK IT" He interrupted himself and threw the notebook away.

"Uh, Wrench?" Marcus said feeling uncomfortable about Wrench trying to improvise. He was obviously a brilliant engineer, but also just as reckless.

Wrench turned on the power drill again, interrupting Marcus. He and Emma both took a big step back from him. Emma took this opportunity to ask him about the note she received from the jail receptionist, "Hey, Marcus?" She asked. Marcus looked over to her. She dug out the note from her pocket and held it out, "Does this mean anything to you?"

Marcus looked down at the note and studied it for a moment. It took him a bit, but he suddenly had a revelation, "Oh shit…" he said, "Who gave you th-" Marcus stopped talking when he heard the power drill stop. Wrench was muttering random things. He took off a piece from the RC car and tossed it off to the side. He continued to drill. Marcus looked back at Emma, "Who gave you this?"

"Sam, I think," She answered, but she was worried about her answer. What if it wasn't from Sam?

Marcus smiled. He squeezed the lever on the fire extinguisher, setting it off quickly, making Emma jump slightly. Wrench stopped drilling and looked back at Marcus, "Marcus! - Oh hey Emma!" He said and stood up.

Emma smiled at him, feeling the butterflies in her stomach when he noticed her. God, she was too old for those feelings, she thought. But she liked it. On the other hand, she was worried about how Marcus reacted the way he did when he saw the note.

"We'll talk later," Marcus whispered quickly then cleared his throat, "Ah, sorry Wrench! Finger slipped," Marcus lied. Emma hid the note back in her pocket, hoping Wrench wouldn't say anything about it, "Look, I just… remembered I had to do something," Marcus said and turned to Emma. He knew he was acting weird, but the new information Emma brought was worth looking further into. "Actually… now that Emma is here, she can help you!" He said and shoved the fire extinguisher in her arms. She was surprised by the sudden weight, but composed herself quickly.

"But I didn't-" Emma began, but Marcus already started walking back and turned the corner, "...sign up for this," She sighed.

Wrench walked closer to her, but wasn't sure if he should give Emma a greeting hug. Their relationship was still new and somewhat unsure, he didn't know what he was doing. "What was that?" He asked referring to Marcus but looked at Emma. He ignored the piece of paper that he saw her hide. Was it for Marcus?

Emma had a feeling she wasn't supposed to mention the note, so she just smiled, "Well, I was just stopping by, but I guess i'm helping you now," She sort of lied. She hated herself for already lying to Wrench.

Wrench crossed his arms and smiled on his mask, "Well, lucky you! You, uh, know how to use that?" He asked, lightening the mood.

Emma tilted her head, "Wrench, I work in a lab. I used to go through one of these a week." She said and set it on the ground.

Wrench's mask displayed his surprisement, "How the hell were you employed for so long?"

"Yeahhhh, I had to start paying for them myself," Emma said, "They also limited the amount of supplies on the count that I was a "crazy mad scientist" and setting everything on fire was a waste."

Wrench's mask blanked for a few moments before it reset to it's neutral X's "...Is it weird to think that's hot?" Wrench asked.

Emma chuckled, trying not to blush, "The crazy scientist part or the pyromaniac part?" She managed to ask through her nerves.

Wrench was pretending to think, "...Both?"

Emma blushed and looked down at the ground, avoiding eye contact with him.

She chuckled, trying to play it off. This time, Emma didn't look away. She smiled at him, feeling proud of herself for once, instead of feeling like a weirdo, "Not as hot as building a bomb, though," She said trying to act confidently, but still came off timidly.

Wrench crossed his arms, smiling with his mask, "Oh this? This is nothing! You should have been around earlier when we turned a Tidis robot into an EMP bomb," Wrench explained.

"Sounds like a lot of stuff I don't understand," Emma said.

"It was Ray's horrible idea, at first. He was my robot, my project, my baby. Then Ray made me turn Wrench Jr into an EVP bomb," Wrench said.

"Wrench Jr.? You named it Wrench Jr.?" Emma asked.

"What else was I going to name it?" Wrench defended.

Emma chuckled, but didn't fight it, "You make a valid point. So if you've done this before then why was Marcus so scared?" Emma asked, pointing at the fire extinguisher.

"I know riiiight?" He agreed, his voice higher pitched than usual, "I totally have this under control."

"Well screw this," Emma said kicking the fire extinguisher over, "Can I actually help?"

Wrench smiled on his mask, "I would be honored," He said and walked over to pick up a power drill and a black hoodie, "Here," He said handing the hoodie to her, "You forget it was November?"

Emma just realized she was slightly shivering. The adrenaline was wearing off. She almost forgot where she even got the adrenaline from. Owen. Should she tell Wrench? She wondered. Ignoring her inner turmoil, she grabbed the hoodie from him, glancing at it for a brief moment. It had a logo of probably some band she didn't recognize, "Oh, I… just set my jacket down somewhere, and I think someone stole it when I wasn't looking," She lied, putting it on. That's twice she lied to Wrench. She wasn't sure what was worse, the lying or the fact that it was so easy. She smiled though, "Mmmm smells like garage."

"Is that good or bad?" Wrench asked.

Emma shrugged, "Good enough to make me want to keep it. Hope you don't like this hoodie that much."

"Oh yeah, forgot that girlfriends steal clothes," Wrench said.

He said it so casually, but Emma's heart skipped a beat when he said girlfriend. She forced herself to play it cool, "Yeah, and you only have like 6 articles of clothing. Buy more so I can steal more," She muttered.

"Okay fine. As long as you don't steal Carl from me," Wrench said handing her the power drill.

"You name your tools, too?" She asked.

"Emma, please. He has feelings, too," Wrench gasped. Emma smiled as he turned back to the RC bomb to tinker with. She was happy to be around him. She felt safe and wanted.

But...

Emma felt guilty lying to Wrench and keeping information from him. She just wasn't ready to tell him about Sam, she convinced herself. Marcus seemed to have a lead from the note she received. Maybe she should wait. It was better if she waited, she decided. She shook her head, trying to stop her from overthinking, and just wanted to enjoy her current time with him.

~~~ Somewhere in San Francisco ~~~

Scarlett blew a cloud of smoke from her lips, watching it dissipate in the wind. She was sitting on a bench on a pier, staring off into the ocean. It was a cold day. Her favorite. People were indoors more when it was cold. Trapping themselves in their own cage that she could lock up of her own free will.

"Ugh, still using those cancer sticks?"

Scarlett smirked as she watched Owen sit down next to her, "Still? More like _again_. I quit last week."

"Oh yeah. For what, a day?" Owen asked.

"Worst day of my life," Scarlett smirked, "So what's with the face to face?"

"Just thought I'd catch up. Haven't seen you in person in a while," Owen said.

"That's awfully sweet," Scarlett said.

Owen chuckled, "But you know that's a lie."

Scarlett smirked, "I can read you like a book," She answered.

Owen looked at Scarlett with a serious face, "Likewise." There was a silence between them before Owen spoke up again, "You remember what happened to Franklin, right?"

Scarlett froze for a second but played it off, "Which one was he again?"

Owen snatched her wrist that was holding the cigarette and squeezed it over her lap, "Think real hard and maybe you'll remember," He said.

Scarlett tried not to show the pain that he was causing her. Or the fact that the cigarette was inches away from her leg. She glared at Owen, never leaving eye contact, "I think I do now," She said slowly and confidently.

Owen still didn't let go of her wrist, "And what did Franklin do again?"

Scarlett still maintained eye contact, "Got you the wrong type of coffee."

Owen smirked, "Yeah… that was pretty annoying. Now can you imagine what I would do to someone who would betray or lie to me?" He asked.

The cigarette ash fell on her thigh, causing her to wince, but she still maintained eye contact, "I can."

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" Owen asked.

Scarlett nodded, "Yes."

Owen forcibly let go of her wrist and sighed. He leaned an elbow on his knee, looking at her, "I have about 3 snipers all targeting you. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't give them the signal?"

Scarlett's heart was beating, but she did her best to maintain her composure, "They found our chat logs. I can't let them know that we work together, so i'm trying to trick them," Scarlett explained slowly and quietly.

"You have a strange method of doing so, by actually contacting them. I would have just stayed out of sight," Owen said.

"Neither Sitara or Ray fully trust Emelia. Marcus is suspicious. Wrench doesn't trust me, but I'm planting the seed. She's going to tear Dedsec from within. That's still the plan," Scarlett said.

Owen nodded, "Dastardly. Remember we still have that Blackout of 2003 secret, too" He said.

"As a last resort," Scarlett said.

Owen stared at her hard while Scarlett stayed silent, still looking ahead at the ocean, "Whelp!" He said quickly, causing Scarlett to jump slightly, "I guess we have a proper understanding here," Owen said, putting his hand on her thigh, sliding it upward, "Don't we?"

Scarlett kept her head straight, but shifted her eyes to look at him, "Of course."

Owen grinned, "This is why you're my favorite," He released her thigh and patted it before standing up straight, "Enjoy the rest of your evening, love," He said and walked off.

Scarlett didn't move. She knew she could relax when he left, and when the snipers were off of her. But she could still feel his hand on her thigh. Suddenly, she was jealous of the ones protected by walls. Staring off into the ocean, she's never felt so trapped in her life.

~~~ Wrench's garage ~~~

Emma was huddled over the RC car with the soldering gun, trying to hold it steady, "So just over here?" She asked.

"Yeah right th- NO WAIT!" Wrench shouted.

"What what!?" Emma stopped and panicked.

Wrench started laughing, "I'm just kidding!"

"Oh my god you fucker! I thought I was going to blow it up or something," Emma said sitting back, away from the RC car.

"Awww come on. It's impossible to blow it up right now," Wrench said, stifling his laugh.

"Well, I don't know that!" Emma defended, heart still racing.

"You weren't in any danger. And you'd do the same to me if you were teaching me your science stuff!" Wrench defended, reaching for her hand to make her feel better.

Emma pouted, "Yeah probably," She said, "Well then, I suck, too."

Wrench smiled through his mask, "I'm sorry," He whispered loudly.

Emma tried to fight back the smile, "I'll get you back… you just won't know when."

Wrench glared, "Ooooooh that's evil. I knew I liked you for a reason."

Emma laughed and stopped trying to fight off the smile that was forming on her face. Wrench's phone went off, interrupting what Emma was about to say. He checked to see Marcus calling on the comm channel. He put it on speaker, "Oh hey, remember when you said you'd come back in an hour?"

"What, you fuck up and now your garage is on fire?" Marcus asked.

"Worse. I pissed off Emma," Wrench said. Emma stuck her tongue out at him.

Marcus laughed, "Emma, he's sorry and he loves you. Kiss and make up or don't, I just need you guys to get to hackerspace right NOW!" Marcus said and hung up.

Wrench and Emma felt awkward at the 'love' comment that Marcus made. For a moment they just sat there, hoping the other one would talk first.

"Should we-" "Do you-" They both said at the same time

"No, go ahead-" Again.

"No, you-" Again. Then they both stayed silent.

Emma quickly stood up, hoping it'd make her feel less uncomfortable. Wrench did the same, picking up the RC car on the way up. He set it off to the side so it wouldn't be in the way, "Wonder what he wants," Wrench finally said.

Emma thought that maybe it was about the note. What if Marcus mentioned Sam? Emma should tell Wrench before he finds out from someone else. She should. She just wasn't sure how to say it without just blurting out Sam's name, "Hey, before we go…" She started.

Wrench stopped to look at her, "Yeah?" He asked, attention fully on her.

Abort, abort! She thought in her head. She couldn't tell him. She didn't want to think about it at the moment. All she wanted to do was think about Wrench. But he was right in front of her. He pulled his hood forward a little bit and as he did, she noticed his hands were slightly dirty from working all day. It was cute, she thought. She smiled shyly as she closed the distance between them. She reached up to his mask, attempting to take it off. Wrench shut off all the icons on his mask as he rested his hands on her hips. He slipped his hands under the hoodie so his hands could rest directly on her jeans. She wasn't even mad that he was getting dirt on them. Emma fumbled around with the mask a bit. There were buttons on the side, she knew, but for some reason she couldn't find them. She groaned and she rested her forehead on his chest, "I'm sorry," She mumbled.

Wrench laughed quietly, "it's okay," he reassured, "Further back."

Emma looked back up and fiddled around with his mask again, "You mean this clasp? Last time you said they were buttons."

"Well, they function the same," Wrench said.

"But they're different words for a reason," Emma argued back.

"Well, whatever, there's a clasp that loosens the mask," Wrench said.

"Tomorrow are you going to tell me it's a knot?" Emma said back sarcastically.

Wrench displayed question marks, "No, ew, who ties on a mask like that?"

"Halloween costumes?" She offered.

"I'm offended," Wrench said.

Emma chuckled, "You wanted an answer."

"You going to unclasp it, or you going to keep talking?" Wrench asked.

"I"m trying!" Emma said still fidgeting with the clasp. Wrench reached up to do it himself. "I'm sorry, I ruined the moment-"

"No you didn't," Wrench said and as soon as his mask was off, his lips crashed onto her's. He tossed his mask onto the counter next to them and returned his hands to her hips, eventually moving them around her back. She wrapped her arms around him, trying her best to ignore the spikes on his vest.

Unbeknownst to them, Wrench was still on the comm channel, "OoooOOOOoooooo" They heard Marcus and Sitara say over the comm channel, "Hey you idiots! What did you not understand about RIGHT NOW?" Marcus said.

Wrench and Emma separated slightly, but were still only inches away from each other's faces, "They ruined it," Wrench said actually leaving the comm channel.

Emma smiled, "We should go then?" She asked, still not making an effort to separate herself from him.

"Right now," Wrench said in a mocking tone, but just reached down to kiss her again. She giggled slightly through the kiss. Wrench turned them so that her back was against the counter that his mask was on. He pushed into her as the kiss got more passionate, causing Emma to let out a noise. Just as Wrench was going to respond to it, Emma pushed him back, eyes wide open, "What?" Wrench asked with concern.

Emma looked up at Wrench, like she forgot he was there. She tried to say words but couldn't. She shook her head instead, "I-I don't know… I'm sorry," She managed to say.

"Is it something I did?" Wrench asked.

Yes and no, she thought. Yes because he existed. _God, you're so hot_ She thought and then interrupted herself, "N-no you're fine… uh, not like 'damn you fine'. Not that you aren't, but I meant you're good. As in… you didn't do anything wrong," She rambled, trying to recover, until she cleared her throat, "We should…go," She said rubbing the back of her head.

Wrench was thoroughly confused. And her ramblings didn't help, "Can you tell me what's wrong then?" He wasn't sure if pestering her was smart, but he couldn't help but want to know.

"Nothing!" Emma snapped, "Let's just go," She said and headed for the door. Before she walked out, she remembered what Wrench distracted her from. Owen was still out there. Maybe he lost track of her. Should she say something? Wrench lowered the garage door and locked it with his phone. He already had his mask back on and began heading for hackerspace, without saying another word to Emma. She really messed up, she thought.

~~~ Hackerspace ~~~

Sitara was pacing back and forth waiting for Wrench and Emma to show up. Marcus, Josh, and Ray were sitting at the table.

"Could you stop pacing?" Josh asked.

Sitara stopped dead on her heel, "Sorry," She muttered, "But where are they?" Sitara whined and plopped down on her seat.

"Young love, you heard it!" Ray said.

"Shouldn't you be the grumpy old man right now? _"These damn kids wasting my time","_ Marcus said trying to imitate Ray.

"Yeah, at this rate we'll have a baby in our little group," Sitara muttered.

"Oh boy, don't say that around Wrench," Marcus laughed.

Sitara laughed with him, "Oh yeah, the thought of him being responsible for anything? It'll actually kill him."

Ray nodded, "Good to know for the next time Wrench pisses me off."

"Do you think Wrench would freak out over a baby or puppy more?" Josh asked with a straight face.

Sitara, Marcus, and Ray all stared amongst each other. That was a very good question, they all thought, "If neither are his, the puppy. But if he found out he was going to be responsible for a baby, then it's no contest," Marcus said.

"Yeah, I might have to agree with that," Sitara said. Before anymore discussion could happen, the door to the hackerspace opened, with Wrench and Emma finally entering and joining the table, "Ugh, finally! I-" Sitara began to say but could feel the tension between them.

"Wow, you really did piss her off," Marcus said to Wrench, but Emma overheard. She walked over to the side of the table to sit next to Josh.

"My man," Ray said pulling out the chair next to him for Wrench, "Let me teach you about women. No matter what, they're always right." Wrench flipped him off and sat in the seat across from Ray.

"He didn't do anything and everything's fine," Emma interrupted, "Okay?" She feels like she just made it worse. But it wasn't fair for them to blame him when he didn't do anything.

Sitara looked at Emma, "You gotta dish later," She muttered, "But anyway, we think we know where Cyb0rg is!"

Marcus turned to Wrench, "You know that van we tracked this morning? Well it led me to the zoo, which we thought was weird. Maybe it was just a delivery job. But then that I remembered what that guy that Sitara interrogated last week said, about his bases being underground. Then I thought about how the zoo parking lot used to be the Fleishhacker pool. There has to be some underground base there!" Marcus explained.

"So we blow up the parking lot," Wrench suggested.

"What? No, there has to be an actual way in," Marcus said.

"We have to keep it stealthy. Cyb0rg also tends to move around a lot. If we let him know we're onto him, Fleishhacker could just be another dead end," Sitara said.

"I'll tell ya, it's a pretty solid theory," Ray said, "I know of far too many places like The Bunker and I never even heard of this pool."

"It's worth a shot," Marcus shrugged. He looked over at Emma, who was making eye contact with him. She looked worried. He wasn't sure if it was because of what happened with her and Wrench, or of the Fleishhacker knowledge.

Emma nodded her head to the left and stood up to walk over to the other side of the hackerspace. Marcus went over to her while the other 4 members continued talking, "You okay?" Marcus asked.

"I just have a bad feeling about this… It's too coincidental. That on the same day, I get a note to where you and Wrench have been?" Emma said.

"Maybe, but it's worth a shot. It'll be fine, okay? A dead end is better than nothing," Marcus said and touched her shoulder. Emma nodded, but still not buying it, "You still haven't told Wrench about Sam?" He asked.

"Not yet. I was going to earlier, but I chickened out," Emma said.

"Well, I'll still keep my mouth shut until you give the okay," Marcus said with a smile.

Emma smiled warmly at him, "Thank you, Marcus...Really."

"Of course," Marcus tapped the side of her arm and walked back over to the others, Emma following. Wrench was wondering what they were all talking about, "Alright, so we all caught up, right? I'll go check it out, and scout the area."

Sitara nodded, "This is going to be fun," She grinned.

"Josh and I are on security," Ray said and Josh already started tapping into the security cameras.

Wrench stood up and looked at Marcus, "Can't let you have all the fun," He said casually, inviting himself.

Marcus chuckled, "This isn't going to be some epic chase scene, you know."

"I can change that," Wrench said with evil eye appearing on his mask.

Emma started to panic at the thought of Wrench endangering himself. She felt very uneasy about the whole plan. Sure, she was worried about Marcus going alone, but now that Wrench was involved, it was different. Maybe Marcus would be safer on his own anyway. Wrench was reckless. As Marcus and Wrench were heading up, Emma hurried to the side of the stairs and got Wrench's attention, "Be careful," She said. He was already upstairs, but she knew he heard her. She didn't like how things were left off between it. She blamed it on the fear, but her eyes began to water. Emma hoped that she'd be able to figure out what was bothering her by the time Wrench came back. He would come back.

"You want to talk about it?" Sitara asked.

Emma quickly wiped her eyes and turned to Sitara with a smile, "No need! Everything's fine," She lied.

~~~ Streets of San Francisco ~~~

"We were making out, getting really into it, then BAM brick wall." Wrench said to Marcus on the way to the old Fleishhacker pool.

Marcus hummed, "Well, wasn't her last relationship with Owen? You know, the guy who's been ruining her life and potentially trying to kill her?"

"Okay, but she can't possibly think that I'm the same!" Wrench said.

"The subconscious mind, my friend. She probably can't help but be afraid of new relationships," Marcus said.

"You're probably right," Wrench sighed, "But it doesn't make me feel any better." Marcus was good with women, surely he knew what he was talking about. He thought back to all the weird moments Marcus and Emma shared together today. The weird note thing, him leaving as soon as she showed up, having a secret chat in the hackerspace. He decided to ignore that, he didn't want to come across as jealous. After all, Marcus was his best friend. He wouldn't get in the way of him and Emma.

"Man, you two are so perfect for each other," Marcus laughed.

"W-What?" Wrench said with a voice crack. DId Marcus read his mind?

"You're both too emotionally dumb to realize you need each other during your weak moments, but instead just shun yourself off because you're afraid of being vulnerable. Which is fine. To each their own, but when you find someone who shares those some attributes? Doing it alone doesn't make much sense," Marcus said.

"Okay love guru, where the fuck did this come from?" Wrench asked.

"Because I know my best friend. And then I met a female version of my best friend. Watching is both entertaining and infuriating," Marcus said. Wrench glared, urging Marcus to tell the truth. Marcus looked nervous and then sighed, "Okay fine. I was tracking some guy and I had to blend in at a magazine stand. I got a little too... invested in playing the part," Marcus cringed.

Wrench started laughing, "Hahaaaaa you read teen dating magazines!"

"I-it was for work, man!" Marcus defended.

Wrench continued to laugh, "Let me guess, you got so invested you lost the target?" Marcus didn't say anything, which only caused Wrench to sigh and rest his legs on the car dashboard. Marcus twitched the steering wheel, making Wrench having rebalance himself, "Whoa-whoa-whoa alright alright," He said sitting up again.

"You won't say ANYTHING about that. Which by the way, was information that was helpful! Soooooo…. You're welcome," Marcus said confidently.

"Any college intern can post bullshit like that and people will believe it," Wrench said.

"If I didn't tell you where I read it, you would have still believed it," Marcus said.

"Doesn't make it any less bullshit!" Wrench said.

Marcus shook his head, "Look, we're almost there, but just think about it anyway, okay? The part about you two being very similar isn't bullshit."

Marcus got Wrench there. The way Emma reacted by pushing him away is what Wrench has done many times in the past, "Yeah, if she'll actually talk to me."

Marcus parked the car at a building near the zoo. The plan was for Wrench to stay back and provide guidance while Marcus try to move in.

~~~ Hackerspace ~~~

Emma didn't want anything to do with this. She sat on the couch away from the computers, but was intently listening on what everyone had to say. Marcus and Wrench were on the comm channel.

"Doesn't look like anyone's there," Sitara muttered quietly, "Off day?"

"With Cyb0rg having as much power as he does, I can't imagine he lets his team take that many days off," Ray said.

"And if they have a million bases, they can provide less support on one. It's possible there's just one guy running the whole show here," Sitara said.

"If it's one guy, then why is this place to important?" Wrench asked.

"The van led us here the other day," Marcus said, "There has to be some restricted access door or something."

"There hasn't been any strange activity as far as security goes," Josh said, "Maybe check for power lines."

"Already on it," Wrench said.

Emma had a bad feeling. This seemed too empty of a lead. They were snooping in Owen's business and he's just waiting for them to snoop so far in, that Owen could easily backfire. She didn't know much about hacking or engineering, but real life happened like that, too. Then again, if this was a secret base, then it wouldn't be so easy to find. She didn't know what to think, but she couldn't help shake off that bad feeling. Maybe she was just guilty that she was dishonest with Wrench, or that she didn't tell everyone where she got the note from. Marcus and Wrench could be endangering their lives because of her.

"Uh oh, I think there's something jamming our signal," Marcus said.

"I-is that bad?" Emma couldn't help but ask.

"There's usually always a jammer or two, but only when there's something they want to protect. I'd say this is a good sign," Sitara said. She didn't seem to get upset, so Emma calmed down a bit.

"My feeds getting too much static. I can't see anything," Wrench said, getting frustrated.

"I'm on it. Just don't know where to start," Marcus said.

"They're underground," Ray said, "Anything you can find?"

"Like get in via sewer?" Marcus asked disgusted.

"If that's what it takes!" Ray responded.

Wrench laughed, "So not jealous of you having all the fun this time," He said.

"No way, man. Sewers are the most fun. You sure you don't want to trade?" Marcus asked.

"Yyyyyup!" Wrench said, "And as much as I'd love to guide you through a sewer, I think I found restricted access door. Kind of hard to tell with the static."

"Oh thank g-"

"Not so fast. You really want to go through their front door? Sewer is safer, if you can find one," Ray said.

Marcus sighed, "Well, I think I found a way in then," He groaned as he moved the pothole lid. He started heading down the ladder.

Emma finally walked around the table to stand behind Ray and Josh to watch the feeds. Marcus was navigating his way through the sewers, but the feed kept cutting in and out, "And he normally does these alone?" Emma asked quietly.

"What do you mean? He's not alone," Sitara said.

"I mean physically. Next to him," Emma corrected.

"Less he has to worry about. We have more power from here anyway," Josh explained.

"I guess you really _can_ hack the world, huh?" Emma asked.

"We're losing contact with Marcus and Wrench," Sitara said, staring at a static screen. She was typing something on the keyboard, hopefully to try and bring the feed back up.

The feed started to get increasingly staticy for a few moments before it cleared up. They saw Marcus standing over a knocked out body, holding a destroyed jamming device. He lifted it up towards the security cam, not saying a word as to not be detected.

"Nice going, Marcus!" Sitara said.

"And we're back," Wrench said, "I lost -"

"Hey, hey can you hear me? We're losing you guys again. There might be another jammer," Sitara warned but it didn't matter. There was too much static.

"This isn't good," Josh said.

"But it's… normal though, right?" Emma asked.

Sitara looked back and up at her, trying to keep her poker face. Emma was clearly worried, she had every right to… Sitara didn't want to make it worse, but she also shouldn't lie, "It's not… uncommon."

Emma wasn't falling for it, "Do something!" she said desperately.

"There's definitely a database in there. I keep trying to connect, but whatever's jamming the connection keeps interrupting it," Josh said.

"Guys, this could really be it…" Sitara said under her breath. She didn't want to jinx it.

The static turned into a feed. Only it wasn't Marcus or Wrench's feeds. Before they saw a face, they heard a laugh, "You Dedsec losers are so easy to fool!" Owen said through the feed.

"Shit," Sitara said.

"I knew it!" Emma spat.

"Wow, you're way less scared than you were a few hours ago," Owen said.

Sitara and Ray looked at Emma, "What is he talking about?" Sitara asked, and Emma dismissed it by shaking her head.

"Ohhh keeping secrets," Owen mused, "Listen, you fuckers need to stay out of my business."

"Getting scared now, are we?" Sitara mocked.

"Scared? HAH. You guys are like a fly in the kitchen. A nuisance, but a pretty annoying one at that. I'll cut you a deal. You leave me alone, and I won't kill your two friends right now," Owen said.

"You're bluffing," Ray said. Sitara shot him a look.

"Am I?" Owen asked. He turned his webcam to show he had a sniper rifle aiming out a window, "You probably can't see where i'm aiming, but I got Wrench in my scope right now."

Emma growled, "You even think about it, I'll-"

"You'll what, exactly?" Owen mocked. Emma didn't know what to say. What could she do? "Really though, Emma… You could do better."

"Josh, do something," Emma whispered desperately. Josh didn't say anything, but he was typing away, doing whatever he could.

"So you going to stop snooping in my business?" Owen asked politely, but police sirens interrupted him, "Fuck," He growled and shut the feed off.

It suddenly went to a clear picture of the security cams, but neither Marcus or Wrench were seen, "Shit," They heard Marcus on the comm channel.

"You heard all that?" Sitara asked Marcus.

"Yeah, and I hear the cops now so I have to find a way out," Marcus said.

"Wrench?" Emma tried to call out, "Wrench!"

"He probably shut his comm off so he could leave. If Marcus heard it, then so did he," Ray assured her, and himself.

Emma nodded, "Yeah, okay…" She said.

Sitara looked at Josh, "Well?"

Josh couldn't help, but smile, "We're in."

Sitara stood up and cheered, "Yes!"

Emma stood wide eyed, "What?"

"The plan was flawless!" Sitara said high fiving Ray. Emma stood confused.

Sitara noticed and chuckled, "He thought he could get us, but BAM! Checkmate!"

"That was all planned?" Emma asked.

Sitara nodded, "Well him hacking into our feed wasn't, but we wanted to get close enough where we could hack into his database-"

"-Which we did," Ray said.

"-and then put in an anonymous tip to the police-"

"-Which I did," Josh said.

"And flush him out so he'd leave his base unattended," Sitara finished with a proud smile. Emma stood dumbfounded, "You okay?" Sitara asked.

"You knew it was a trap?" Emma asked.

"Not really, but we knew that once we got there, Owen would know. And he loves to show off how much he knows about something. That couldn't have worked any better!" Sitara said.

"I can't handle this…" Emma said and pushed Sitara, "You could have at least warned me!"

Sitara held her ground, "Hey! Listen, we didn't have a foolproof plan. That was mostly improvised."

Emma took another step toward Sitara, unhappy, "He was ready to kill Wrench!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Ray said holding onto her arm, pulling her back.

"But he didn't," Sitara tried to calm her down.

"But he could have! How could we improvise with that, huh?" Emma shouted, her voice wavering as she was trying to fight back tears.

"Emma, everything went well and that's all we should focus on, okay? We hacked into one of his major databases. This is the biggest lead we've gotten so far," Sitara said calmly.

"At what cost, huh?!" She pulled her arm away from Ray, angrily, "If Wrench or Marcus would have gotten hurt because of me, I'd never be able to forgive myself. I don't even care what the rewards would be," Emma said.

"Emma-" Sitara said.

"Forget it," Emma interrupted and left to go upstairs.

"Where are you going?!" Sitara asked, but Emma ignored her, leaving the hackerspace. Sitara scoffed in frustration.

No one spoke for a few moments until the comm channel lit up, "Yeah, what if I died?" Wrench asked.

"Wrench-" Sitara warned.

"Kidding, kidding," Wrench said.

Sitara shook her head, "Marcus, Wrench, just meet back here, okay? Emma will get over it and come back. We need to sort through our results."

"Wrench, let's make a quick pitstop before we head over," Marcus said. He had a feeling he knew where Emma went off to.

~~~ San Francisco Jail ~~~

Emma jumped out of the cab and ran up the stairs, pushing the doors open. She went to the receptionist. A different one than earlier. Emma was pissed, but she put on her best fake smile and spoke as kindly as she could, "Hi, I was here earlier. I really need to see Sam-"

"Visiting hours are over, sorry ma'am, you'll have to come back tomorrow," The woman said kindly, albeit slightly nervous around Emma's frantic behavior.

"I know, but this is _really_ important, please! Sam Mueller. M-U-E-" Emma insisted.

"Honey, you'll just have to come back tomorrow," The receptionist said again.

"Don't you "honey" me!" Emma shouted and quickly caught herself before she made it worse. Security was walking toward her and so she backed off the receptionist's window, "Sorry for yelling." She said through gritted teeth.

"Is there a problem?" The security officer asked.

"Look, is there ANY way I could see him? He has very important information for me," Emma said and turned back to the receptionist, "SAM. MUELLER."

"Wait, Sam Mueller?" Another receptionist spoke up.

"Yes!" Emma said.

The receptionist looked at his clipboard, "It says he got released."

Emma's eyes widened, "Released…? No that's… I just saw him this morning."

"Yeah, looks like he got released today at noon. There's no details on it. Just that he was released," The receptionist said nonchalantly.

Noon. She might have saw him no later than 11am. Did Owen release him? That means she really did see him. He was following her. No, he saw her come from the jail and released Sam. For what? To inhibit her investigation or to help his own cause? Did Sam know he was going to do that? Sam wasn't going to say anything to Emma. Then that means the note WAS a trap. Owen sent it. She could scream, but instead, "Thank you," Emma said to the receptionists and walked out of the jail. She didn't want to cause anymore of a scene. But with Sam being out there, she suddenly felt like a target.

Emma took several steps out, and started heading down the steps, when she noticed Wrench and Marcus standing off to the side. She quickened her face and ran up to Wrench, throwing herself into him, wrapping her arms around his neck, "I'm so sorry!" She cried. She wasn't sure why, but she needed to say that before anything else.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm okay. Everything's fine, right?" Wrench hugged her back tightly and smiled, even if she couldn't see it. Emma loosened her grip and broke the hug, but she still rested her hands on him.

She shook her head, "No… everything's not fine. Sam got released," Emma said, wiping her eyes with one hand.

"What? Didn't you just talk to him-" Marcus began, but stopped. Wrench looked at him, with question marks on his mask. "I-I mean…"

Wrench looked back at Emma, "You were talking to Sam?" He let his hands drop and turned to Marcus, "And you knew?"

"Can we just get away from here, please?" Emma said, worry all over her face.

"We'll do all the talking there, yeah?" Marcus asked carefully. He knew Wrench wasn't happy. But that would be a conversation for the hackerspace. Marcus went to hack into the nearest fancy car and got in.

Emma held her hand up, signaling Marcus to give them a second, "Please don't be mad before you hear the whole story," Emma said quietly so that only Wrench would hear.

"Kinda like how you didn't get mad before you heard Sitara's whole story?" Wrench asked with a wink.

"You heard all that…." Emma sighed.

"Wish I could have seen it!" Wrench responded, "You know, no one's ever really reacted like that…about me."

Emma lazily smiled quickly, but couldn't keep it up, "If anything happened to you, I…"

Wrench reached out to grab her hand, "I know," He said and pulled her closer to him so he could hug her.


	11. 11 - Failsafe

~~~ Hackerspace ~~~

On the way back to the hackerspace, Emma didn't say a word. She caused a scene, fought with Sitara, and stormed out. She wasn't exactly looking forward to being back. It was like she was 12 again and threatened to run away from home, but would just be back before dinner time. Emma didn't say a word when they walked in. Emma didn't even look at Sitara and she was sure Sitara didn't even look at her.

Despite everything, Sitara was in a great mood. Hard to be upset when you know you have the enemy cornered. The rest of the plan was heavily reliant on time. She couldn't waste it scolding Emma.

"We routed two locations where there's heavy data traffic going to and from Fleishhacker. Josh is already working on hacking into the first one, but we can't get an access point at the other one. Mind heading over there and taking care of it?" Sitara asked Marcus and Wrench.

"Like go in and reboot the system?" Marcus asked.

"That's an option," Sitara said, "You could completely erase it if you want. There's nothing there that's useful for us. We have everything. We just don't want anyone else to have it either."

Wrench groaned and slouched in his seat, "Uuughhhhhh can't we just blow it up?" Sitara smirked and looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. Wrench gasped and displayed exclamation points on his mask, "You serious?"

Sitara chuckled, "Your time to shine. We doin it-"

"Wrench, style, baby!" Wrench cheered as he stood up, "I've been waiting all month for this!"

Marcus laughed, "What about the other place?"

"We're going to take care of it... Sitara style," Sitara said.

"And that would be?" Marcus asked with a grin.

Sitara took in a death breath, "Steal the intel, send an anonymous tip to the feds, putting out a warrant to Cyb0rg's arrest. Aaaand watch Blume take a major hit considering they're protecting that douchebag," She said all in one breath.

"Remind me never to mess with you," Ray chuckled and Sitara smirked.

"Be careful, though. I imagine once the first base gets flushed out, there might be increased security at the other," Sitara said, "But you boys can handle that."

"Wait... these coordinates are at that place in Oakland. That condemned office building. We've been there before," Marcus said pointing at the laptop screen.

"Yeah, and we found nothing," Ray said glancing at Wrench. He also remembered on that same day that Wrench was busy sulking over Emma. Perhaps that was the reason they didn't find anything suspicious. He knew he was too distracted, "That guy we beat info out of. What was his name? Carl? Anyway, I remember he mentioned that Cyb0rg moved bases a lot. But there's evidence that there's been activity at all three at once. So either he was full of shit, or Cyb0rg did a good job hiding it."

"Cyb0rg knows how we operate. He knows what to hide from us, and how. And I admit, it was a solid run, but he couldn't outrun us for too long," Sitara said confidently. She was loving this power trip.

"Well, whatever kind of lock he has on it, we'll get through. Once and for all," Marcus said.

"To my garage! I have just the things lined up," Wrench said eagerly. He really has been waiting a long time for this.

Emma was away from them all, sitting on the couch. She was hugging her knees. Frustrated and scared, but eager. Their plan sounded good. They knew what they were doing. Was this going to be Owen's final day ruining her life? What would she do after? No, Emma told herself. She couldn't think that far ahead. Owen was still dangerous at the moment, she couldn't forget that. She stood up, "Wait!" Wrench and Marcus stopped by the stairs, "Be careful about... him," She said, referring Sam.

"Who?" Sitara asked.

Emma, Marcus, and Wrench shared looks between each other then back to Sitara, "Uhhh, we'll let you talk," Marcus said. Emma pleaded with her eyes for him to stay. He couldn't leave her to explain the Sam situation by herself. Sure, he had nothing to do with it, but she needed the backup.

"What's going on?" Ray asked.

Emma let out a long sigh. She just wanted to get this over with, "Sam got bailed out of jail," She finally said, admitting how good it felt to finally talk about Sam.

Sitara furrowed her brows, "What do you mean?"

"Well, he was in jail... and now he's... not," Emma said.

"No, I got that, smartass," Sitara said flatly, "How do you know?"

Emma sighed. She was in too deep, she may as well spit it all out, "I've been visiting Sam in jail. I thought I'd be able to get him to trust me and he'll dish info about Owen."

"What?! So who bailed him out?" Sitara asked.

"I don't know. I know this looks bad, and it's dangerous and all that, but I had to try to talk to him!" Emma defended.

"And you kept this a secret, becauuuuse...?" Ray asked.

"Remember the first time I went? He knew I had you guys there with me. Either he saw the earpiece, or just knew I was nervous... I don't know, but he knew," Emma said.

"You could have at least just had one of us stand outside for you," Ray said.

"I just wanted to do it my own way," Emma said starting to get annoyed.

"You didn't even know?" Ray asked Wrench.

"No... but Marcus did," Wrench said eyeing him.

Marcus raised his hands, but Emma interrupted, "He found out on accident, I swear! I made him promise not to tell anyone!"

"She made progress though! The Fleishhacker tip was from Sam!" Marcus said feeling guilty and defensive. It really did look bad on his part. Dedsec wasn't supposed to keep secrets from each other and he knew that. Now it was going to be an awkward mission with Wrench.

Sitara shook her head, "Then Fleishhacker was a trap... Do you realize how much worse that could have been?"

"I know!" Emma snapped, "And... that's why I was so mad about your "improvising.". It was because I was feeling guilty. If anything bad happened, it would have been my fault. So i'm sorry for getting mad... and lying or not saying anything. But I couldn't just sit in my lab and wait around while you guys did everything!" Emma tried to hold back tears. She wasn't sure why she was getting emotional.

"You've made a shitton of weapons for us," Wrench said.

"It's not enough," Emma muttered.

"And what will be enough? Huh?" Sitara asked, "Do you want him to kill you?"

Emma looked down, "He won't hurt me..."

"Oh, yeah, did Sam tell you that?" Sitara asked. She was trying to keep calm, but she was speaking quickly, with a condescending tone. Sitara couldn't believe how careless and stupid Emma was being. Sitara didn't build Dedsec to what it was by being dumb.

"He did," Emma answered.

"And you believe him?" Sitara asked.

Emma nodded, "I do. He-"

Sitara interrupted, "Emma, he's a traitor! He's on Owen's side. He tried to kill you and Wrench for fuck's sake!"

"He's just a pawn!" Emma said, "He doesn't know what he's doing. I"m tired of being scared, okay? You don't understand how useless I feel!"

"Will you two stop fighting?!" Wrench yelled quickly, stepping closer to the two.

"You're being careless!" Sitara added in last minute.

"Listen," Wrench said gesturing more to Sitara, but he stopped, "Wow, it's kind of weird being the mediator," He said.

"Get to the point!" Sitara and Emma both said.

Wrench was taken aback, but brushed it off, "Alright, alright. Look, I'm tired of all this going back and forth with you two. Our only enemy right now is Cyb0rg, right? We got leads. We can only take whatever Sam and Scarlett say with a grain of salt, but-"

"Scarlett?" Emma and Sitara both asked.

Wrench didn't respond, not realizing he said her name. He looked between the two but his eyes settled on Emma, "What?" He asked pretended he didn't hear her.

"You've been talking to Scarlett?" Emma asked softly.

Wrench cleared his throat, "See what I do is exist... and then suddenly Scarlett just shows up and starts talking in my direction-"

Ray decided to spare him by interrupting, "That doesn't matter. So someone went rogue for the sake of information, who cares? It wouldn't be the first time, and the Fleishhacker tip worked out in our favor."

"No, we don't do things alone. We have to be honest with each other!" Sitara said. Marcus invited Ray in the group without consulting anyone. Although, Sitara invited Emma into the Hackerspace at first without asking anyone, Emma was still an already established ally, "Did she at least say anything useful?"

"She claims that she's using Cyb0rg, and she's been trying to help us take him down the whole time. Like I said, take it with a grain of salt," Wrench said.

"Wait, really?" Emma asked sharply. She tried to hold it together, but she couldn't, "You get mad about Sam, yet you can have secret conversations with Scarlett?" She asked accusingly.

"It's different," Wrench said.

"How is it different?" Emma asked.

"Because I didn't ask to talk to her. You willingly endangered yourself to talk to Sam," Wrench replied, raising his voice a little.

"I never dated Scarlett!" Emma said.

"Neither did I!" Wrench defended.

"You tried!" Emma said.

"Is that what you're mad about!?" Wrench asked.

"You're so stupid!" Emma was fed up, she resorted to name calling. Childish, but, eh, she knew.

Ray walked in between them holding his head, "Okay new rule: No couples in Dedsec?" Ray suggested, "Why did you bring up Sam now again?"

Emma shook her head and sighed, "My point from the beginning was that Sam was out there and I just wanted you guys to know so you can be careful. I don't know who bailed him out, or why, but he's probably dangerous."

"So everything's out of the bag, right?" Marcus asked awkwardly.

"What. Do you have something to tell us, too?" Sitara asked.

"No, no," Marcus answered quietly.

"Didn't you have a plan for Scarlett?" Ray asked Sitara.

"Well it doesn't matter now that she's all buddy-buddy with Wrench," Sitara said.

"Well the clock is still ticking. Let's get the job done and become friends again later?" Ray asked.

"I'm sorry, everyone," Emma mumbled shaking her head

"I am, too. You're right. The Fleishhacker tip was useful. Thanks, Emma. I just..." Sitara paused and looked down at her feet, grinding her shoe against the ground beneath her. Emma never saw her like this before. She seemed vulnerable. "I can't let what happened to Horatio can happen again... And I'm not ready to lose another one of us," Sitara said softly then realized Emma probably didn't know who Horatio was, "Oh, Horatio was-"

"Marcus filled me in," Emma interrupted, "I'm sorry, Sitara. Really. I wasn't thinking about that at all..." Emma said. Wrench's interest peaked. He turned his attention to Marcus. When did he tell her about Horatio? He wondered. The same time Marcus knew about Sam? He wasn't liking all these secret moments they must have had, but he didn't say anything.

Marcus noticed Wrench looking at him, but pretended to be attentive to Emma and Sitara's conversation, "Well, let's just be glad it didn't get to that point," He said.

"And look how close we are! The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can kick back and relax with a couple of cold ones," Ray said.

"Just meet me at my garage. I'll be ready to go," Wrench said to Marcus and walked out. He seemed down and Marcus had a feeling he knew why. He glanced at Emma who just lightly shrugged at him.

~~~ Oakland ~~~

Wrench and Marcus gathered Wrench's supplies and immediately headed to Oakland. Marcus would watch the perimeter to keep any guards that would show up at bay. Meanwhile, Wrench took his explosives to infiltrate and find the main data frame.

Wrench carefully walked down a hallway, seeing two doors further down. One had faint blue lights coming from it. That had to be it, he thought. He stopped by the door frame to peek inside. It was a dark room, but the computer monitors on the other end were emitting a blue light. There were two men standing near the large computer desk. Both were holding assault rifles. Wrench laughed in his head guessing that neither of them knew how to properly use them. How often would they need to shoot assault rifles, anyway? The only people who would try to infiltrate this base would be cops and now Dedsec. And everyone knows Dedsec likes to work through the data streams. Although in this case, it was the shadows, even if Wrench preferred a more direct approach.

Wrench crouched down so he could move closer to the two, using a desk as cover. From there, he turned the corner to move to another desk to hide behind. This time, only a few feet away from the guards. Good thing it was dark enough to stay hidden, he thought. He pulled out his phone to jam the assault rifles, easily succeeding. Once that was done, he pulled the Capsule Gun from his belt. He took a second to look at it. Emma worked so hard to make these and this was the first real time he was able to use it on a mission. Marcus usually had all the fun when it came to engaging an enemy. And lately, there wasn't much to do. Aside from the Cyb0rg hunt.

"What if the feds bust in?" One of the guards asked.

"I don't know about you, but I'm surrendering. Make up some story about how he blackmailed me. I'm not doing jail time for that psycho son of a bitch," The other responded.

"You ever even seen him?" One asked.

The other one let out a quick laugh, "Nah. All I get are messengers."

Interesting, Wrench thought. Cyb0rg hires people to do everything for him, while he sits in some fancy stolen home, probably. That would be his mistake. Dedsec worked as a group, for themselves, for the good of the people. There was never a question of loyalty. These two men would never be allowed in Dedsec. Wrench got bored of their bantering. He clicked the Capsule Gun to be ready to fire. This was it.

Wrench quickly stood up from behind the desk and shot an ice dart at the furthest one away, square in the face. The impact threw the guard's head back enough for him to take a step back. He dropped the gun as he raised his hands to cover his eyes that were layered with ice. He was shouting in pain, "My eyes! What the fuck! I can't see!" He panicked.

The other guard whipped his body around and aimed his gun, Wrench being at the end. He stood there nonchalantly, with his hands up, "I didn't know how else to break the ice," Wrench said, smiling icons displaying on his mask.

The guard pulled the trigger of his gun, only for it to click, "The fuck!" He yelled as he threw it to the ground and tried to grab the other gun. Before he could even bring it back up, Wrench took this opportunity to run toward him and hit him in the back of the knee, causing him to flinch. Wrench then pulled out the Thunderball to hit him square in the face, knocking him out immediately. One down, he thought.

"Help! Help me!" The other guard was shouting, flailing his arms around. Wrench was annoyed, displaying two lines on his mask. He picked up one of the assault rifles off the ground and bumped the end of the gun into the side of his head, knocking him out, as well.

Ahhhh, quiet, Wrench thought. He threw the gun back onto the ground and pulled his phone out. He scanned the area, making sure no one was around, "You know, for a major base, there weren't that many people protecting it," Wrench said over the comm channel.

"They're probably too busy dodging the feds," Marcus chuckled.

"No one's here to see my work," Wrench feigned offense. It was truly a shame Wrench couldn't share an explosive moment with someone, quite literally... Even if it was the enemy. He pulled one of the unconscious bodies outside of the room and into the hallway, "No one conscious, anyway."

"Man, plant the charges, get back out here, then detonate them!" Marcus said while Wrench pulled out the other guard.

Wrench hummed, "Not the way I work, Marky Mark!" He pulled out two explosives to set around the main computer.

Marcus groaned, "Not that again."

"Hey. If no one's around to see it, does it really blow up?" Wrench asked.

"Getting philosophical at a time like this?" Marcus asked.

"Philosophy and destruction go hand in hand," Wrench explained. He sounded serious. He probably was, Marcus thought. Wrench followed the short power lines and put explosives at two other ends, making sure not to have any loose ends.

"What kind of philosophy books are you reading?" Marcus asked incredulously.

Wrench finished setting all the charges he thought were necessary, "Published philosophy books are one of the biggest scams. It's some guy with a made up degree jerking himself off with his own bullshit," Wrench said. He pulled out his phone to get ready to detonate the two explosives on the sides. He would save the the main one for last, "and no one understands what the fuck he's saying, so they think he's smart."

Marcus chuckled and put on the best edgy hipster voice he could muster, "What does it mean to live a good life? Why do we dream?"

Wrench joined him, "If the universe is finite, what would beyond the edge of the universe be like?"

"I'd say we could write our own book at this rate," Marcus said.

"I feel scummy just pretending," Wrench said and shivered in disgust, "And I know just the thing to fix it," Wrench hit a button his phone as he walked out of the room and into the hall. All Marcus could hear was the sound of an explosion happening, followed by a second one.

"Uhhhh, Wrench?" Marcus asked.

Wrench let out a long sigh, smiling, "Much better."

Marcus darted his eyes a bit. That was a suggestive sigh, he thought. Should he bring it up? He wouldn't even know what to ask. Better yet, maybe he should just leave it alone.

After a few minutes, Wrench met back up with Marcus outside, "Took your sweet time," Marcus said.

"I wanted to enjoy this. Who knows when the next time will be," Wrench said.

"Ready to head back? I'm sure Emma's dying to see us back in one piece," Marcus said and started to walk off.

Wrench narrowed his eyes, displaying two lines on his mask. He wanted to ask Marcus so many things. Why did he kept the Sam secret from him? When did he have the time to tell her about Horatio? What conversation led to that conversation? Why did he pull her aside to speak to her in private earlier? Marcus was his best friend, he was just being paranoid. Yeah, that was it. But then why would Marcus suddenly leave situations when Emma came around? "Hey, Marcus?" Wrench spat out without knowing what he was going to follow up with next.

Thankfully, before Wrench could say anything else, a much larger explosion went off, startling Wrench and Marcus. The looked over at the building to see it starting to shed debris and started crumbling within itself. Wrench dropped his shoulders and sighed, "Seriously?" He whined and gestured his hand out at the building, "I went through all that trouble moving the bodies out of the way."

Marcus looked between it and Wrench, "You didn't do that?"

"No, but now I wish I did," Wrench answered, still whining. He was just as confused at Marcus, "Must have triggered a failsafe when the servers shut down."

"Well, let's get out of here before cops show up," Marcus said walking away, Wrench following suit, "Oh, what were you going to say?"

Wrench thought about it. Was it really the right time? Wrench shook his head, "Eh, it can wait."

~~~ Hackerspace ~~~

Emma stayed in the Hackerspace. Sitara, Ray, and Josh were going through their logs. She went over to lay down and as soon as her back hit the couch, her emotions got the best of her. Probably because she finally felt safe enough to let herself feel vulnerable. Sam was out there. She saw Owen. Dedsec was mad at her. Wrench and Marcus are in a potentially dangerous situation... But she was within the safe walls of the Hackerspace. She was staring up at the ceiling, unable to control her tears.

"I'm glad you came back," she heard Josh say.

Emma looked up to see him standing up around the corner, "Hi, I'm sorry, I know my crying is making you uncomfortable, but I just can't help it right now," She said and put her head back down, "You thought I wasn't going to come back?"

"You seemed very angry. Why are you sad?" Josh asked.

"Everything. It's not just because I'm sad, it's...I don't really want to talk about it," Emma decided.

Josh stayed silent for a moment, "Okay. Did you want to see what we found?"

Emma wanted to be left alone. She wanted to say no, but she'd have plenty of time to sulk later. She sat up and started to wipe her tears away, "Yeah."

Emma was perched on a chair slightly behind Josh's computer. She was hugging her knees to her chest, studying the screen. Sometimes she wasn't sure if she just zoned out or completely fell asleep for a couple of seconds. What was she doing here again? She didn't really have much to do or look at. A bunch of data and words she didn't understand. Josh knew that. Maybe he wanted her to feel included.

Emma glanced at the screen and a name stood out to her. She did a double-take. JB Markowicz. It took her a second to realize why it sounded so familiar, but then she couldn't forget, "JB?" Emma asked quietly.

"Hm?" Ray asked lazily. He spun his chair around to face her.

"JB Markowicz. Who's that?" Emma asked. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Names aren't all unique.

"Oh, some hacker punk. Why do you ask?" Ray asked. This peaked his interest.

Emma stared at the screen, "No reason."

Ray was suspicious. He knew he had to tread lightly. After all, she was talking about JB Markowicz AKA Defalt. This could either lead somewhere great or somewhere bad. Knowing his luck, it'll probably be something bad, "That didn't sound like 'no reason'," Ray said.

"Just a name of someone I knew. Probably a different guy," Emma reasoned with herself. She never told Owen about her JB. Why would his name be in his logs?

"Does the DJ named 'Defalt' mean anything to you?" Ray asked.

Emma made an effort to think about it, "Can't say it does."

"Well, It's a long story, but this guy was trying to kill me and my friends," Ray said a little more comfortable around the subject. It was a common name, right? He tried to tell himself.

"That doesn't sound like my JB," Emma said.

"Who's your JB?" Ray asked.

Emma suddenly felt really uncomfortable. JB Markowicz wasn't a name she thought of in a while. In a way she felt guilty for it. But he left her many many years ago. Surely she had to move on, "Just some guy I knew," She repeated. But she couldn't let it go, "Back in New York."

"Oh, you're not from California?" Ray asked. New York. Where the blackout happened. He had to tread this conversation lightly, or try to change the subject.

Emma shook her head, "Lived there until I graduated high school. Then I moved here for college," Emma said.

"Wait, you're telling me you've been here for 7 or 8 years, and you hardly know anything about San Francisco? Hell, I've only been here for like a year!" Ray said.

Emma chuckled, "I got my Master's Degree when I was 22. I was pretty busy. Then I met Owen. You know the rest," Emma said.

"And it all makes sense," Ray said.

"Well, you're still young! San Francisco is a hell of a lot better than New York!" Sitara piped in from across the room.

"Have you ever even been to New York?" Emma asked.

"It's just a cold, flat, cramped, LA. Bad drivers included," Sitara said casually.

"Maybe the city is a little cramped, but the rest of the state is nice!" Emma defended.

"Yeah well if it's so nice, then why aren't you back there?" Sitara asked walking up from the other side of the room.

Emma shrugged, "New York is nice, but so is San Francisco, and I got all you dorks here," And Wrench, she thought, "But back home, JB was all I had."

"Aww. Boyfriend?" Sitara asked.

"Hah!" Emma laughed. She wished. "Nah. JB and I both lost family during the blackout in 2003," Emma began. Ray and Sitara both stiffened, "We were kind of forced to attend this youth group to talk about it. We both thought they were dumb and just became friends because of it. He was a pretty bad influence on me. Got into a lot of trouble together," Emma's face fell, "And then a few years later, he just disappeared."

Ray couldn't look at her. Defalt a.k.a JB Markowicz's brother was one of the casualties of the Northeast Blackout of 2003. And another one was related to Emma. He knew all their names. They haunt him every day of his life. But he knew one of them wasn't named Myers. Did Emma not know Ray was the one who caused it? But it was on the news... Defalt made sure of that. Sitara shot a look at Ray, but he wasn't looking at anyone or anything in particular. Neither of them knew how to proceed, but Sitara knew they couldn't tell her. Not yet, at least. Sitara cleared her throat, "I hope you see him again one day," Sitara said, trying to act normal.

Ray glanced at Sitara. That's right, she probably didn't know about Defalt. He harassed him and Aiden 3 years ago. A year later, Defalt showed up again and Ray killed him once and for all. That was all in Chicago. Sitara was busy making Dedsec what it is today in San Francisco. But she heard about Aiden.

"Thanks, me too. I wonder what he's up to," Emma smiled wide. She looked hopeful. Talking about him made her happy. Ray couldn't destroy that. But he already did. The guilt would never end.

As if on queue, the door to the hackerspace opened up revealing Marcus and Wrench, "Guys! Guys!" Marcus cheered with enthusiasm. Ray has never been so thankful to hear their loud voices.

"Mission accomplished?" Sitara asked.

They were running down the stairs, Wrench jumping over the railing at the end, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the moment you've all been waiting for," Wrench said with dramatic enthusiasm.

"Do we need a drumroll?" Sitara asked playfully.

"No, but bust out the champagne, and turn on to the news!" Marcus said and ran over to the couch. They all huddled around the couch as Sitara turned the TV on.

"I swear to god if this Cyber Driver 2 or something," Ray muttered.

"Don't pretend you wouldn't be excited about that!" Wrench snapped with angry eyes on his mask, "But no, even better!"

The news showed the result of Wrench and Marcus's mission involving blowing up the last location. There was debris behind the reporter speaking, with cops and firemen in the background. The headline read: Dedsec Hacker Exposed.

"Did you guys do that?" Sitara asked. Wrench and Marcus answered her, but all Emma could hear is what the news reporter was saying.

"...anonymous tip providing the locations of an Ex-Dedsec hacker Owen MacDermott. San Francisco police has issued a warrant out for his arrest. Information suggesting that Blume was working with the criminal is also under investigation. If anyone sees him, stay away and call the police. He is considered armed and dangerous..."

Emma's jaw dropped.

He's been exposed?

Is this real?

No, it's a dream.

Owen's... Owen.

He wouldn't just be caught like that, she thought. She was sure. But the news is saying otherwise. She didn't even hear the other Dedsec members cheering around her.

"Emma!" Wrench said snapping her out of her thoughts, "We did it!" He tried to reassure her. She still couldn't believe it.

"We... did... it," Emma repeated quietly. She almost didn't even hear herself. She turned to Wrench who was smiling on his mask. At that moment, she wasn't angry with him. She wasn't angry with anyone. And with her look of relief, he was no longer angry with her. Emma reached up and wrapped her arms around him, Wrench returned the hug, holding her tightly. They had plenty of time to talk later, but they wanted to enjoy this major victory. They let go of their hug, but still looked at each other.

"Not to be a Negative Nancy or anything, but we didn't win yet," Ray warned, "We took over his ship and kicked him overboard, but he's still out in the sea somewhere."

"And what is a pirate without his ship or crew?" Marcus asked, going along with the analogy.

Ray titled his head slightly, "That's a good point, but he's bound to have a few extra loyalists. He could still have miscellaneous safe houses," Marcus said.

"Who could he possibly have?" Sitara mused, "Sam? Scarlett? She's a good hacker, but on her own? Pfft. She's not a threat anymore."

"Never trust the crazy ones," Wrench said in a low voice.

"I'm gonna agree with that," Ray said.

"Okay, but by herself?" Sitara asked.

"Never. Trust. The crazy ones," Wrench repeated, emphasizing his words while displaying circles on his mask.

Sitara laughed, "I'm not afraid of her. She latches herself onto the strongest link until she's in a position of power. But when there's no one else, she's just a regular script kiddie."

"Daaaaamn, are you slut shaming?" Marcus chuckled.

"Never!" Sitara said coyly.

"I'd say she's better than a script kiddie," Wrench said. Emma shot him a look, "Not... by much, though..." He added.

"Well, I'm counting this as a win!" Sitara said.

"You know what, me too!" Marcus said.

Sitara turned to Emma, "What about you?"

Emma wasn't sure how to answer it. It felt surreal. Owen didn't have the power he had before. No, he surely had back ups. Was it really this easy? Was Dedsec really that good? "I'll be honest, I have no idea."

"Good enough!" Sitara cheered.

"For?" Emma asked.

"Look, let's go out and celebrate. Owen knows he's in danger right now. He won't bother us tonight," Sitara said.

"What if we draw him out?" Emma asked.

"Even better," Wrench said dangerously and winked.

Emma chuckled, "Yeah, you're right. They're probably scared. Is this worth celebrating though? I'm with Ray, it might be too soon."

"We definitely gotta take the time to appreciate the small victories, too," Marcus said.

"Come ooon! It's been weeks!" Sitara said and threw her arm around Josh, who just shrugged it off.

"Don't," He muttered, but followed Sitara to the stairs to leave the hackerspace.

Marcus followed her and Wrench looked at Emma before he moved. She smiled and turned to Ray, "You in?" She asked.

Ray couldn't handle being around Emma right now, "Hah, you kids have fun. I'll just... be here. You know, just in case," He said.

"Just in case for what?" Emma asked concerned.

"Don't worry about it. Go have fun!" Ray said and waved his hands at her. When everyone left, Ray just stood there alone. What was he going to do about Emma and the Blackout news? He's been living with the guilt for 14 years, but being around someone who was affected by it was a new feeling. He and Emma started off on the wrong foot. He believed she was a traitor. He still wouldn't completely rule that out, but he's gotten to know her. And she was now dating Wrench. This was a mess even Ray wasn't sure how to get out of. He sat down at the table and let out a deep sigh.

~~~ Later at Pier 23 ~~~

"Cheers to cornering our prey!" Sitara said raising her shot glass as did everyone else.

"To progress!" Marcus cheered.

"To progress!" The rest cheered and downed their shots. Josh made a face at the shot, so Emma gave him her soda to use as a chaser.

"Thank you," He said drinking it.

Emma quickly took the drink back from him so she could also use it as a chaser, "I can't do shots either," She said to him.

"Hey, Emma, remember when you didn't want to work with us?" Marcus asked.

"I've been wrong many times," Emma smiled, "I just can't believe we've made it this far..."

The waiter came by with a tray full of more shots, "Hell yeah keep em coming!" Wrench said grabbing one, spilling it over Sitara.

"Ah! Wrench!" She said.

"Sorry, sorry," He apologized.

"To spilling drinks!" Emma cheered.

"To spilling drinks!" They all laughed and took the next shot.

An hour and several shots later...

"So like, can Aquaman summon a sharknado?" Wrench asked like he's been thinking about it for a while.

"You've been sitting quiet thinking about Aquaman?" Sitara asked taken aback by his randomness.

"If he wanted to, of course," Emma said laughing.

"Big deal. Even Tara Reid can fight off a Sharknado," Marcus defended.

"That's true, she's been in like all of them, right?" Wrench asked.

"Has she?" Marcus asked.

"I'm asking you!" Wrench asked.

"There's more than one Sharknado movie?" Emma asked.

"Do you just like... not watch movies?" Wrench asked.

"Yeah. Good ones!" Emma said back.

Wrench scoffed, "Okay, you can't even say that because you still haven't finished Predator."

"Yeah, well if Ray were here, I could blame him!" Emma said.

"You had years to see it!" Sitara said.

"You had your whole life," Wrench added.

"Okayokayokay, If i buy the next round of drinks, will I be forgiven?" Emma asked.

"No, but it'll help," Marcus said.

Emma chuckled and stood up stumbling, "Onto the bar!"

Wrench stood up after her, "Aaaand I'll go with you!" He said matching her excitement.

"Okay, but be careful. Ground's moving," Emma said seriously.

"Just don't look at it," Wrench said giving a solution. Marcus and Sitara laughed at the drunk mess they've become. With love, of course.

"Does that work?" They heard Emma ask.

On the way there, Emma was listening to the voices around her. The Pier was a place members of Dedsec often went to. They'd surely recognize her. She swore they were talking about her.

"Is that her?"

"What does he see in her?"  
"What does she see in him?"

"They're both weirdos."

She wasn't imaging it. Wrench's voice broke her out of the trance, "Emmmaaaaa"

Emma turned to Wrench. She didn't realize how close she already was to him so she stepped back a bit. Would getting closer be weird, though? She thought about it, but it would probably only bring up more attention, "They're talking about me," Emma muttered, unsure if it's from being drunk or self-conscious.

"Ignore them," Wrench said, rubbing her back slightly.

Emma looked up at him, taking a bit to focus on him. She squinted her eyes to see him better. But after that, all of her attention was on him. She watched as he ordered the bucket of beers for the table. Emma rest her elbows on the table, waiting for the drinks. She leaned towards Wrench, "I was supposed to get the next round," She said.

Wrench smiled with his mask, "You were too slow."

"You're...slow," She said back at him.

"Ouch," Wrench said putting a hand on his heart.

Emma smiled and reached for the hand that was resting on his heart, "I'm sorry I'm such an idiot. Relationship stuff freaks me out, I guess..."

"What?" Wrench asked confused.

"I didn't mean to blurt that out. I just don't like it when we fight," Emma said softly "I just need you to know it's me, not you... As cliche as that sounds."

Wrench nodded and didn't say anything. It's not him, it's her. He thought about it, "I feel like I've heard that before. You're not... breaking up with me, are you?" He asked with a wink on his mask.

Emma chuckled, "Of course not!"

Wrench smiled, "You know, I'd thought you'd be the cool one in the relationship."

"You don't think I'm cool?" Emma asked.

"You're just as much of a nervous wreck as I am," He mused.

Emma struggled to think of what to say next. Of course he was right, "No i'm not!" She fought.

"I'm not judging!" Wrench said.

Emma smiled so wide her eyes were squinting, "Maybe I like you too much."

"What?" Wrench deadpanned.

"Yeah that's it!" She confirmed. Wrench wasn't expecting to hear that. He couldn't even say anything back. Emma giggled and touched his arm, "Like, what if we're going too fast. I'm closer to you than I've been with anyone," She gushed.

"Me?" He asked as a reflex. He wanted to ask so much more, but he didn't know how. What did she mean going too fast? They barely just kissed!

"The first guy I ever really liked just disappeared on me and moved 4 states over. My first boyfriend in high school only dated me to make someone else jealous. My first boyfriend in college dumped me for Heather. Then I dated Owen," She explained, "And now you, and it scares me how much I actually like you."

"It scares me, too," Wrench said quietly, "But it's a good kind of scared, right?"

"I kinda like it," Emma smiled.

"And I promise I'm not like any of the other guys. I'm not moving, and I don't even know what people see in Heather!" Wrench says.

"Because she's so pretty and slutty!" Emma said.

"Oh, yeah, you're right. Know what? Let me go call her up," Wrench said sarcastically, pretending to reach for his phone.

Emma laughed, "You're dumb," She muttered.

"Youuuuu love iiit," Wrench drawled out.

"Yeahhh," She drawled out softly, mocking him.

So not fair, he thought. Wrench wanted to say something that could either help or ruin the moment. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was drunk, this was the moment to say things he'd later regret! But something else was bothering him more. He cleared his throat, but Emma spoke up again, "I feel like any second, something could go wrong," Her face fell, "And now Sam is back..."

Wrench knew she was right. A lot of things could go wrong. Her talking to Sam could have gone so south. He wished she trusted him enough to say something, "Why didn't you tell me about him?" Wrench asked.

Emma wished the conversation to turn in that direction, "I'm sorry...I wanted to! Earlier, actually. I-I saw Owen..." Emma said.

"Today?" Wrench asked.

Emma nodded, "I was scared, and I just wanted to tell you that I saw him and everything about Sam. Then I went to see you in the garage today, and...I just forgot why I was scared," She smiled and looked down while playing with her hands. He made her feel safe? Wrench thought about it, "That sounds really cheesy, I know..."

"N-No!" He said quickly to interrupt her, "I like that I can make you feel less scared," He said displaying happy eyes on his mask. Emma smiled back which Wrench loved, "But please don't do anything stupid."

"You're one to talk," Emma scoffed. Wrench was always doing reckless things.

"That's part of my charm, though!" Wrench said.

"Yeah, I like you more when you're alive, if you don't mind," Emma chuckled.

"Noted," Wrench said, still smiling.

"Ayyyy!" They heard Marcus call over, "Where's our drinks!?"

"Oh, yeah. Should probably..." Wrench didn't finish his sentence as he grabbed the bucket of beers that they didn't even notice was in front of them.

"Hey, you want to leave and, I don't know, watch a movie?" Emma asked and casually ran her hand up his forearm, tracing one of his tattoos.

"You're not going to make me watch some lame rom com, right?" Wrench joked.

"I think you know me better than that," Emma smirked.

"What movies does Sitara even have?" Wrench asked.

Emma bit her lip, "Oh...I didn't mean Sitara's."

Wrench panicked slightly, trying not to show it, but failed. The physical attention, the lip bite... He got the hint. His mask displayed two circle emotes quickly before they reset back to the default emotes. He immediately went over to Marcus and Sitara's table, slamming the bucket of beers down "Bye," He simply said and walked away, Emma following him, latching onto his arm as they walked away. Marcus couldn't tell which one of them was trying to keep the other from stumbling.

"Oh jeez... Should we let that happen?" Marcus asked, slightly cringing. They were drunk and giggling a bit too much.

Sitara laughed, "I want to make fun of them so bad!"

"Tomorrow is going to be awkward, isn't it?" Josh asked.

~~~ Wrench's Garage ~~~

They don't remember how they got there, but they arrived at Wrench's place. He had an apartment above the garage, that came with the title when he "bought" it.

Emma tore off Wrench's mask before he could even lock the door behind him. She crashed her lips onto his and the momentum pushed him back into the door, the kiss being feverish right away. She set the mask down on a table she assumed was next to them, but the mask hit the floor instead. Neither of them noticed. Emma wrapped her arms around him as Wrench snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her as close to him as he could.

Emma pushed herself back slightly to grip the front of his vest to push it over his shoulder, which he let her do, keeping their lips connected the whole time.

She was drunk, he tried to tell himself. Not that drunk... No! But it felt so great, "Em, you're drunk," He muttered through the kiss.

"Mhm," Emma mumbled.

At least she knew, Wrench thought. That made this okay, he reasoned. Still holding onto her, he walked with her over to the couch. The couch hit the back of her knees and she fell back on the couch, Wrench almost toppling over her. He braced himself so he wouldn't fall on her. Emma started giggling, Wrench chuckling with her, "You okay?" He asked, his voice low.

Emma closed her eyes and nodded, "There's a couch here," She said with a wide grin. So she was super drunk. Not okay.

Wrench stood up straight and walked around the couch next to her, "Yeah I've been meaning to get rid of the thing. Just gets in the way," He joked. She sat up and pulled him back down with her so they were both lying on the couch, Wrench on top of her. Now it was time to panic. What was he doing? Enjoying time with his girlfriend, he answered himself. Emma wrapped a leg over his which prompted him to let his hand snake up her shirt. She twitched from the touch and he immediately removed his hand, "Sorry sorry," He said breaking the kiss, "Going too fast I know, I-"

Emma smiled, "Your hand is cold," She interrupted.

"Oh," He said lamely.

Emma looked him in the eyes, "You know... it is pretty cold out here."

"What happened to that hoodie you stole from me?" Wrench asked, lowering his face down to her neck.

"It's my hoodie now, but I left it at the hackerspace," She answered quietly, feeling his lips make contact with her skin.

Wrench chuckled in her neck, "It's all I had!"

His breath tickling her neck drove her crazy, "Do you have any blankets?"

"No?" He answered after thinking about it. He lifted his face up from her neck.

"You don't have a single blanket," Emma said more than asked.

"I mean, on my bed," Wrench dismissed.

Emma stared for a sec, "Can we use that?" She asked not blinking.

"But I gotta drag that thing here, and then i'll have to drag it back later," Wrench said.

"No you don't," Emma said quietly.

Wrench almost sighed, "Emma, how can we use the blanket if we don't move it?"

"How about we go to your room and you understand what I'm saying." Emma said as clearly as she could.

Wrench finally caught on. Earlier today, she pushed him away because she was too scared of going too fast in their relationship. Yet now, she was talking about going into his room. He didn't feel right about it. His heart might have stopped, "Oh."

Emma smirked, "Oh? That's all you're going to say?" She asked, tracing her fingers over his arm.

Wrench sat up, "Aren't you the one worried about going too fast, or...?"

Emma sat up too and pulled her knees up to her chest, "I think you misunderstood... I meant that... Um..." She said. She already started sobering up on the way to his garage, her liquid courage was failing her, "I don't think we're moving too fast. It's just weird how uhm, close we are already. I feel like I've known you for a lot longer than a month," Emma said.

"Three weeks" Wrench corrected.

"Oh god," Emma said under her breath.

"Yeah, well, what the hell does time know?" Wrench asked confidently.

"Well, it's time, so... kind of a lot," She answered.

"You can watch every episode of X-Files in 3 weeks. But that sounds like it'll take forever, right?"

Emma tilted her head at him and started laughing, "What the fuck are you talking about!?"

"I'm projecting, okay!?" Wrench defended. X-Files was a really long series... "You know I'm right, though!"

I love you, Emma wanted to say. How could she be so freaked out about something and then Wrench say the right thing to make her feel more comfortable, "I know that you're an idiot," Emma said instead.

"Buuuuut?" Wrench drawled out.

Emma sighed, "But you're right."

Wrench laid back on the couch and sighed, "Feels good being right," He said.

Emma eyed him and she had a gleam in her eye, "You know what you get for being right?" She asked in a low voice.

Wrench didn't respond but he turned his head to look at her. She kneeled up and leaned towards him to kiss him. He smiled through the kiss as he lifted one hand up to run through her hair, and rest on the side of her neck. She crawled more over to him and swung one leg over him to straddle him. Both of Wrench's hands moved down to rest on her hips and she pushed herself more into him, no longer afraid of how much she was enjoying being with him. How much she enjoyed being so close to him, emotionally and physically. How she still got the butterflies in her stomach every time she saw him or heard his voice. That was supposed to go away when you leave high school. She would blame it on the alcohol. She'd also blame Wrench's wandering hands on the alcohol. But it was just an excuse to hide that she liked it.

It did scare her, but Wrench wasn't like the others. She somehow knew he wouldn't let her down or disappear from her life.

Emma broke the kiss but she was still only mere inches away from Wrench's face, "You still got that blanket?" She asked in a breathy voice. How long were they making out for?

Wrench was just as out of breath, "Yeah," He said.

Emma got off of his lap and immediately missed the feeling, "Over here?" She asked curiously and started heading for the hallway.

"Wait," Wrench called over and stopped her. He took a second before he could stand up, but he played it off, "You sure?" He asked her.

Emma rolled her eyes, "What, are you going to make me beg?"

"Excuse me for respecting you and trying to be a gentleman," Wrench said. Emma knew he was just messing with her, but she actually started to feel bad, "Although, that'd be pretty hot. And now I feel weird for thinking that's hot," Wrench said cringing.

"Well, not gonna happen, because I'm going in there with or without you," She said and bit her lip, heading towards what she thought was a room.

"Emma," Wrench called over one more time.

"Whaaaa-Ah!" She screamed when Wrench bent down to pick her up and throw her over his shoulder, "Put me down!"

Wrench turned to go into his room, "You were heading towards a closet!" He said and plopped her down on his bed. It was a further drop that she was expected, considering the mattress was directly on the floor. He climbed over her and started kissing her, even though she was still laughing.

"You could have said something!" Emma said.

"I did!" Wrench responded.

"Without picking me up!" Emma said.

"Awww, where's the fun in that?" Wrench asked, nuzzling her neck.

"You're such a jerk," She breathed out, again enjoying the sensation of his breath on her neck.

Wrench started to notice a pattern, "All this name calling today. I'm starting to think you're using it in place of other words."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Emma humored him.

"Ohhh I don't know... Amazing, handsome, the best engineer you know," Wrench said.

Emma laughed, "My my, where's all this confidence coming from?"

"Alcohol, mostly. And... well, you," Wrench said.

Emma smiled. Whether it was the alcohol, or he was just getting more comfortable around her, the Wrench in front of her was the Wrench she first got to know. When he wasn't wearing his mask, he always seemed to tense and serious, but here he was, flirting and cracking jokes. Unmasked.

But she had a feeling that it was mostly the alcohol. Emma pushed herself up to capture his lips and pull him back down with her, Wrench wrapping the blanket over them.

Fluff?  
Fluff ;)

Oh and they seem a little comfortable with their victory, don't they? Hmmmm ;)


End file.
